Genuine good taste consists in saying much in few words, in choosing among our thoughts, in having order and arrangement in what we say, and in speaking with composure.
Francois FenelonRead
If we had strength and faith enough to trust ourselves entirely to God; and follow Him simply wherever He should lead us, we should have no need of any great effort of mind to reach perfection.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Trusting in God and surrendering to His guidance can lead us to inner perfection without struggle.
This quote emphasizes the importance of faith and trust in God as a pathway to personal growth and perfection. It suggests that when we fully surrender our efforts and anxieties to a higher power, we find greater ease in the journey toward self-improvement and fulfillment, eliminating the mental burdens that often complicate our lives.
Themes
FaithTrustGodPerfectionGuidance
In practice
Example use cases
During a spiritual retreat, one might quote this to encourage participants to let go of their worries and trust in God's plan.
More from Francois Fenelon
All quotes →True prayer is only another name for the love of God. Its excellence does not consist in the multitude of our words; for our Father knoweth what things we have need of before we ask Him. The true prayer is that of the heart, and the heart prays only for what it desires. To pray, then is to desire -- but to desire what God would have us desire. He who asks what he does not from the bottom of his heart desire, is mistaken in thinking that he prays.
Francois FenelonRead
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.
Francois FenelonRead
How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.
Francois FenelonRead
If we were faultless we should not be so much annoyed by the defects of those with whom we associate.
Francois FenelonRead
If the crowns of all the kingdoms of the empire were laid down at my feet in exchange for my books and my love of reading I would spurn them all.
Francois FenelonRead
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As the genuine religious impulse becomes dominant, adoration more and more takes charge. 'I come to seek God because I need Him', may be an adequate formula for prayer. 'I come to adore His splendour, and fling myself and all that I have at His feet', is the only possible formula for worship.
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