Quotes from Francis of Assisi

Upon this, Bernard went and sold all that he had. Now he was very rich, and with great joy he distributed his wealth to widows, to orphans, to prisoners, to monasteries, to hospitals, and to pilgrims, in all which St Francis assisted him with prudence and fidelity.

Be praised, my Lord, through sister water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Go into all the world and preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.

Concedimi la serenità di accettare le cose che non posso cambiare, il coraggio di cambiare le cose che posso cambiare e la saggezza di capirne la differenza.

Grant me the treasure of sublime poverty: permit the distinctive sign of our order to be that it does not possess anything of its own beneath the sun, for the glory of your name, and that it have no other patrimony than begging.

I am the herald of the Great King.

What you are looking for is what is looking.

By the anxieties and worries of this life Satan tries to dull man's heart and make a dwelling for himself there.

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

If a superior give any order to one who is under him which is against that man's conscience, although he do not obey it yet he shall not be dismissed.

There is absolutely no man in the whole world who can possess one among you unless he first die.

I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone.

A man has only so much knowledge as he puts to work.

Our actions are our own; their consequences belong to Heaven.

Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.

He who works with his hands is a laborer.He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.

You cannot all abandon your possessions, but at least you can change your attitude about them. All getting separates you from others; all giving unites to others.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.

It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.

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

We should never desire to be over others. Instead, we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God's sake.

God requires that we assist the animals, when they need our help. Each being (human or creature) has the same right of protection.