Francois de Fenelon Quotes
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Speak, move, act in peace, as if you were in prayer. In truth, this is prayer.
[Peace]
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Temptations are a file which rub off much of the rust of our self-confidence.
[Temptation]
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The greatest of all crosses is self. - If we die in part every day, we shall have but little to do on the last. - These little daily deaths will destroy the power of the final dying.
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The more you say, the less people remember. The fewer the words, the greater the profit.
[Brevity]
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The most virtuous of all men, says Plato, is he that contents himself with being virtuous without seeking to appear so.
[Virtue]
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The passion of acquiring riches in order to support a vain expense, corrupts the purest souls.
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The true genius that conducts a state is he, who doing nothing himself, causes everything to be done; he contrives, he invents, he foresees the future; he reflects on what is past; he distributes and proportions things; he makes early preparations; he incessantly arms himself to struggle against fortune, as a swimmer against a rapid stream of water; he is attentive night and day, that he may leave nothing to chance.
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The voluptuous and effeminate are never brave; they have no courage in time of danger.
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There is a set of religious, or rather moral, writings which teach that virtue is the certain road to happiness, and vice to misery in this world. A very wholesome and comfortable doctrine, and to which we have but one objection, namely, that it is not true.
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There is no real elevation of mind in a contempt of little things. It is, on the contrary, from too narrow views that we consider those things of little importance, which have, in fact, such extensive consequences.
[Trifles]
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Time spent in prayer is never wasted.
[Prayer]
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To be content with even the best people, we must be contented with little and bear a great deal. Those who are most perfect have many imperfections, and we have great faults; between the two, mutual toleration becomes very difficult.
[Contentment]
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To realize God's presence is the one sovereign remedy against temptation.
[Temptation]
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Trouble and perplexity drive me to prayer, and prayer drives away perplexity and trouble.
[Prayer]
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True piety hath in it nothing weak, nothing sad, nothing constrained. It enlarges the heart; it is simple, free, and attractive.
[Piety]
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Violent excitement exhausts the mind, and leaves it withered and sterile.
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We must truly serve those whom we appear to command; we must bear with their imperfections, correct them with gentleness and patience, and lead them in the way to heaven.
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Whoever will labor to get rid of self, to deny himself according to the instructions of Christ, strikes at once at the root of every evil, and finds the germ of every good.
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Worry is the cross which we make for ourselves by overanxiety.
[Worry]
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