Let us love God my brothers, let us love God. But let it be with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brow.
St. VincentRead
It ought to be considered a great misfortune, not only for individuals, but also for Houses and Congregations, to have everything in conformity with their wishes; to go on quietly, and to suffer nothing for the love of God. Yes, consider it certain that a person or a Congregation that does not suffer and is applauded by all the world is near a fall.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Comfort without challenge can lead to downfall.
This quote reflects on the necessity of facing hardship and challenges in life, suggesting that an existence devoid of struggle may lead to complacency and eventual failure. St. Vincent implies that both individuals and groups, when solely surrounded by ease and approval, may not be prepared for the inevitable adversities that come their way, thus highlighting the importance of resilience and humility.
Themes
StruggleGrowthResilienceHumilityChallenges
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a motivational speech about facing adversity.
More from St. Vincent
All quotes →It is from your hands that Our Lord, in the person of the sick, seeks relief.
St. VincentRead
Charity is the cement that unites communities to God and individuals to each other_x000D_ so that he who contributes to the union of hearts in a community_x000D_ binds it indissolubly to God.
St. VincentRead
We ought to deal kindly with all, and to manifest those qualities which spring naturally from a heart tender and full of Christian charity; such as affability, love and humility. These virtues serve wonderfully to gain the hearts of men, and to encourage them to embrace things that are more repugnant to nature.
St. VincentRead
However great the work that God may achieve by an individual, he must not indulge in self-satisfaction. He ought rather to be all the more humbled, seeing himself merely as a tool which God has made use of.
St. VincentRead
Fervor is a fire that makes things boil and grow hot, just as fire causes water to boil. It is, properly speaking, charity on fire, and that is what you should have because a Daughter without Charity is like a body without a soul.
St. VincentRead
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If one is devoid of hope and thanksgiving, he cannot for long remain sinless, for he will, in despair, have slackened his resolve. Feelings of futility foster vulnerability. Self-pity is such a busy stagehand, rearranging the scenery to help sin make its entrance. No wonder the prophets say that without faith in the Lord, there is no hope.
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The only routine with me is no routine at all.
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Two simple principles lie at the bottom of the whole matter, and they may be precipitated into two rules. The first is that, when there is a choice, the milder drink is always the better-not merely the safer but the better. The second is that no really enlightened drinker ever takes a drink at a time when he has any work to do. There is, of course, more to it than this; but these are sufficient for the beginner, and even the virtuoso never outgrows them.
H. L. MenckenRead