If we endure all things patiently and with gladness, thinking on the sufferings of our Blessed Lord, and bearing all for the love of Him: herein is perfect joy.
The Lord called me by the way of simplicity and humility, and this way He hath shown me in truth for me and those who will believe and imitate me. And therefore I would that ye name not to me any rule, neither of St. Augustine, nor St. Benedict, nor of Bernard, nor any way or form of living, but that which was mercifully shown and given me by the Lord.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of simplicity and humility in following one's spiritual path, rather than adhering strictly to established rules or traditions.
Francis of Assisi expresses his belief that true spiritual guidance comes from a personal relationship with God, characterized by simplicity and humility. He advocates for a path that is divinely inspired rather than strictly dictated by human-made rules or religious doctrines, encouraging others to follow this authentic way of living that he has embraced.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon on personal faith journeys, one might quote Francis of Assisi to emphasize the importance of following one's own spiritual convictions.
More from Francis Of Assisi
All quotes →Jesus is happy to come with us, as truth is happy to be spoken, as life to be lived, as light to be lit, as love is to be loved, as joy to be given, as peace to be spread.
Ask the beasts and they will teach you the beauty of this earth.
By the anxieties and worries of this life Satan tries to dull man's heart and make a dwelling for himself there.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens, you have made them bright, precious and fair.
Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.
Similar quotes
Had the cub thought in man-fashion, he might have epitomized life as a voracious appetite, and the world as a place wherein ranged a multitude of appetites, pursuing and being pursued, hunting and being hunted, eating and being eaten, all in blindness and confusion, with violence and disorder, a chaos of gluttony and slaughter, ruled over by chance, merciless, planless, endless.
I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.
How can non-existence get sick of itself? Everytime you wake up, you appear again out of nowhere. And so does everything else. Death just means the replacement of the usual morning waking with something else, something quite impossible even to think about. We don't even have the instrument to do it, because our mind & our world are the same thing.
All resistance is a rupture with what is. And every rupture begins, for those engaged in it, through a rupture with oneself.
For when is death not within our selves? And as Heracleitus says: “Living and dead are the same, and so are awake and asleep, young and old. The former when shifted are the latter, and again the latter when shifted are the former."
WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEART OF MEN? The Death of Rats looked up from the feast of the potato. SQUEAK, he said. Death waved a hand dismissively. WELL, YES, OBVIOUSLY ME, he said. I JUST WONDERED IF THERE WAS ANYONE ELSE.