St. Francis of Assisi (officially and in Italian, Francesco d’Assisi, born Giovanni di Pietro Bernardone) was a saint of Italian origin, a deacon, and the founder of the Franciscan Order.

Born in 1181, he is considered one of the indispensable figures in the Christian spirituality of the Middle Ages.

Great phrases and thoughts of St. Francis of Assisi

In today’s article we will go into the philosophy of this Christian icon through the best phrases of St. Francis of Assisi .

If you think we’ve forgotten any of your famous quotes, feel free to write it down in the comments section and we’ll soon add it to the post.

1. It is by dying that one is resurrected to eternal life.

Phrase that summarizes his vision of the afterlife.

2. Nothing else is to be done but to be careful to follow God’s will and to please Him in all things.

According to St. Francis of Assisi, we humans must hear and reproduce the divine commands.

3. When spiritual joy fills the hearts, the serpent pours out its deadly venom in vain.

There’s nothing better to ease the hatred than a dose of happiness and companionship.

4. All the good we do must be done for the love of God, and the evil we avoid must be avoided for the love of God.

A philosophy based on approaching kindness.

5. What you do may be the only sermon some people hear today.

Actions are worth more than words, according to this phrase of St. Francis of Assisi.

6. While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.

On the need to avoid hypocrisy.

7. Without prayer no one can make progress in the divine service.

A ritual that marks the difference between believers and practicing believers.

8. I need few things and the few I need, I need little.

An austere vision that was one of the ethical foundations of the Franciscan Order.

9. Blessed is he who has no other joy and gladness than the words and deeds of the Lord.

A sentence that sums up his love and devotion to God.

10. Jesus Christ called the one who handed him over a friend and offered himself spontaneously to those who crucified him.

About the infinite goodness of God’s envoy.

11. Animals are my friends and I don’t eat my friends.

A vegan phrase that clashes with the medieval context.

12. Man should tremble, the world should vibrate, the whole heaven should be deeply moved when the son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest.

A word of thanks to God’s envoy.

13. It is by forgiving that we are forgiven.

Only when we are able to be humble do others forgive us for our failures.

14. God created all creatures with love and goodness, big, small, in human or animal form, all are children of the Father and He was so perfect. There is no point in walking anywhere to evangelize unless our path is our gospel.

A reflection of St. Francis of Assisi on the Gospel.

15. Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

A maxim to apply to your day-to-day life.

16. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone.

Omnipresent and omnipotent.

17. Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.

A phrase of the Christian spirit in which the good must prevail over adverse circumstances.

18. With how much more love can one of us love and nurture his brother in the spirit.

Reflection on sharing love.

19. The true teaching that we transmit is what we live; and we are good preachers when we put into practice what we say.

The practice and experience of each one is basic to be a moral example.

20. Where stillness and meditation reign, there is no room for worry or dissipation.

About calm and its psychological benefits.

21. It is by giving oneself that one receives, it is by forgetting oneself that one finds.

Self-realization is a process that can take years.

22. He who works with his hands is a worker.

Worker par excellence.

23. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.

Creativity at the service of society.

24. He who works with his hands, his head and his heart is an artist.

The high point of cultural production: art.

25. The temptation that has been overcome is, in a way, the ring with which the Lord preaches.

A sentence to make us think.

26. Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.

Spiritual redemption must begin with oneself.

27. May the peace that you announce with your words be first in your hearts.

Another of those phrases from St. Francis of Assisi in which he emphasizes the importance of the word.

28. We have been called to heal the wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.

The Italian saint, on the mission of Christians

29. Entertaining oneself in looking for defects in one’s neighbor is sufficient proof that one does not care much about one’s own.

It is better to focus on what we ourselves can improve.

30. If there are men who exclude any of God’s creatures from the protection of compassion and mercy, there will be men who will treat their brothers in the same way.

Goodness must be preached in a generous and constant way.

31. Praying daily makes us kind.

Another phrase about constancy in Christian devotion.

32. Prayer is a real rest.

Only in that ritual, according to St. Francis of Assisi, does our soul rest.

33. The devil rejoices, above all, when he succeeds in snatching joy from the heart of the servant of God.

Sadness and anger are incompatible with Christian devotion.

34. He is happy who retains nothing for himself.

Austerity is the best guide to happiness.

35. Remember that when you leave this world, you cannot take away anything that you have received; only what you have given.

Beautiful phrase of St. Francis of Assisi.

36. May the peace that you announce with your words be first in your hearts.

Never say anything you don’t mean.

37. For a small reward you lose something that is priceless and you easily provoke the giver to give no more.

Timely reflection from which to think about the prejudices of selfishness.

38. Prayer makes us close to God, even though He is always close to us.

A great phrase to understand the omnipotence of the superior being.

39. Let’s start serving, let’s do our best. What we have done so far is little and nothing.

You can always do more and better.

40. Let us love God and worship him with a simple heart.

Without great fuss, loving God has a simple path.

41. Evil and false spirits, do in me what you will. I know well that you cannot do more than the hand of the Lord permits. For my part, I am willing to suffer with great pleasure all that he leaves behind.

A phrase directed at evil, in a defiant tone.

42. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected.

Goodness should not be deprived to anyone.

43. God created all creatures with love and kindness, great, small, in human or animal form, all are children of the Father, and he was so perfect in his creation that he gave each one his own environment and his animals a home full of streams, trees, and beautiful meadows like paradise itself.

About the incredible logic of nature.

44. Man, not possessing anything of his own, belongs to God.

A curious conception of human property.

45. All the brothers should preach through their works.

The actions speak for us clearly and transparently.

46. Just as some animals feed on others for their livelihood, God told man that he could take the animals he needed only until he found a better solution, not for whimsical clothing or to make them his slaves or entertainment.

Feed yourself animals only if there is no more reasonable option.

47. Death is terrible, but how desirable is also the life of the other world, to which God calls us!

Ambivalent view on death.

48. Where there is charity and wisdom, there is no fear or ignorance.

The “magic” potion against misfortune.

49. All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.

Metaphor that we can apply to different contexts.

50. Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible and suddenly you will be doing the impossible.

Great philosophy to develop projects of all kinds.

51. Wisdom is achieved through experience and lessons learned.

There is no other way to develop.

52. It’s in the giving that we receive.

Phrase about the importance of sharing.

53. It is a faithful and prudent servant who, for every fault he commits, hastens to spy on them: inwardly through contrition and outwardly through confession and satisfaction of work.

On the virtues of a faithful believer.

54. If you, God’s servant, are worried, you must immediately turn to prayer and prostrate yourself before the Lord until he gives you back your joy.

According to St. Francis of Assisi, concerns are resolved by returning to prayer.

55. We must do nothing else but be solicitous in following the will of God and in pleasing Him in all things.

Thanksgiving to God is a way of being humble and kind.

56. O Lord, may I not seek so much to be consoled, as to console, as to be understood, as to understand, as to be loved, as to love.

Another sentence about the importance of offering without expecting anything in return.

57. Above the grace and gifts that Christ gives to his beloved, there is the surpassing of oneself.

Absolute veneration of Jesus Christ.

58. Let us strive for the serenity to accept the inevitable things, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to be able to distinguish one from another.

A maxim to apply to our daily lives.

59. He who obeys must not look to his superior for man, but to the one for whose love he has given himself to obedience.

A sign of respect and veneration.

60. Don’t canonize me too soon. I’m perfectly capable of fathering a child.

An ironic phrase about the canonization in life.

61. Lord, to me, a sinner and unworthy one, you have sent from heaven this consolation and sweetness; I return them to you to reserve them for me, for I am a thief of your treasure.

An ode to God’s goodness.

62. He seeks above all things; and let us always make in them a dwelling and a habitation for him who is the Lord God Almighty, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit.

Another maxim directed at God’s attention.

63. The devil rejoices, above all, when he succeeds in snatching joy from the heart of the servant of God. He fills with dust the smallest cracks in the conscience that can sully the candor of the spirit and the purity of life. But when spiritual joy fills the hearts, the serpent pours out its deadly poison in vain.

About the devil and his vices.

64. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, I will sow love; where there is offence, forgiveness; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

Eliminate the negative to restore the positive.

65. The servant of God must shine by his life and holiness.

Example is the best virtue of a devotee.

66. When your mouth is filled with the proclamation of peace, try to have an even fuller heart.

Another of those phrases of Francis of Assisi in which he reinforces honesty of heart.

67. Courtesy is the sister of charity, which extinguishes hatred and fosters love.

Cordiality, generosity and good manners always add up.

68. It is no use walking everywhere preaching, unless our walk is our preaching.

By example we mark the path of others.

69. Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.

A way to communicate in a religious way.

70. Do not fight among yourselves and with others, but try to answer humbly by saying, “I am a useless servant.

From humility we can resolve all conflicts.

71. One ray of sunshine is enough to drive away many shadows.

A metaphor that we can apply to many contexts.

72. Be patient with all things, but especially with yourself.

A reflection that should make us value calm and serenity before ourselves.

73. Go, dearly beloved, two by two through the various parts of the earth, announcing to men peace and penance.

Appeal to people with good hearts.

74. His actions may be the only sermon some people hear today.

Another famous quote from St. Francis of Assisi about the relevance of setting an example with facts.