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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True prayer is heartfelt communication with God, not just a collection of words.
In this quote, Fenelon emphasizes that genuine prayer stems from the deep desires of the heart rather than mere verbal expressions. He argues that authentic communication with God involves aligning one's desires with what God intends for us, asserting that true prayer is rooted in love and sincerity, rather than quantity of words.
Themes
PrayerLoveHeartDesireGod
In practice
Example use cases
During a spiritual retreat, I shared this quote to encourage deeper connections with God in prayers.
More from Francois Fenelon
All quotes →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
You can often help others more by correcting your own faults than theirs. Remember, and you should, because of your own experience, that allowing God to correct your faults is not easy. Be patient with people, wait for God to work with them as He wills.
Francois FenelonRead
Similar quotes
We will only advance in our evangelistic work as fast and as far as we advance on our knees. Prayer opens the channel between a soul and God; prayerlessness closes it. Prayer releases the grip of Satan's power; prayerlessness increases it. That is why prayer is so exhausting and so vital. If we believed it, the prayer meeting would be as full as the church.
Alan RedpathRead
Holy Angels, our advocates, our brothers, our counselors, our defenders, our enlighteners, our friends, our guides, our helpers, our intercessors - Pray for us.
Mother TeresaRead
The prayer of listening makes things simple but it also makes us vulnerable, and that is frightening. Listening makes us open to Christ, the Word of God, spoken in all things: in the material world, the Scriptures, the Church, and sacraments and, sometimes most threateningly, in our fellow human beings. To listen at prayer is to take the chance of hearing the voice of Christ in the poor, the weak, those whom we love and those whom we do not love.
Benedict GroeschelRead
There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what God prizes.
Oswald ChambersRead
Spiritual reading is a regular, essential part of the life of prayer, and particularly is it the support of adoring prayer.
Evelyn UnderhillRead
May you be children of God, pure and unblameable, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (cf. Phil. 1:15): and may you never be entangled in the snares of the wicked that go round about, or bound with the chains of your sins. May the Word in you never be smothered with the cares of this life and so make you unfruitful: but may you walk in the King's Highway, turning aside neither to the right hand nor to the left, but led by the Spirit through the narrow gate.
Gregory Of NazianzusRead