“God inclines to shower His graces upon us, but our perverted will is a barrier to His generosity.”

As for joy, as little as one can have of it in this life, experience shows that it is not the idle who possess it, but those who are zealous in the service of God.

Stand firm and immovable as an anvil when it is beaten upon.

Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything.

If you attach your heart to certain places and occupations, obedience oftentimes places you in some other place that you may not like; to be always cheerful, be always humble and obedient.

Remember that bodily exercise, when it is well ordered, as I have said, is also prayer by means of which you can please God our Lord.

It is proper to ask for sorrow with Christ in sorrow, anguish with Christ in anguish, tears and deep grief because of the great affliction Christ endures for me.

May the perfect grace and eternal love of Christ our Lord be our never-failing protection and help.

The acknowledgment of and gratitude for favors and gifts received is loved and esteemed in Heaven and on earth.

If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He certainly intends to make you a saint.

It is not the finest wood that feeds the fire of Divine love, but the wood of the Cross.

Remember that the good angels do what they can to preserve men from sin and obtain God’s honor. But they do not lose courage when men fail.

Finding God in All Things.

Few souls understand what God would effect in them if they should give themselves entirely into his hands and allow his grace to act.

He who is not getting better is getting worse.

May it please Christ our Lord to grant us true humility and abnegation of will and judgment, so that we may deserve to begin to be His disciples.

Concerning the harsh treatment of the body for our Lord’s sake, I would say, avoid anything that would cause the shedding even of a drop of blood.

There are two classes of human beings in this world: one class seem made to give love, and the other to take it.

Giving is the greatest gift.

Love isn’t what I have the opportunity to get from this world. Love is what I have the opportunity to give.

Some women’s love of being loved is insatiable; and so, often, is their love of loving; and in the last case they may find that they can’t give it continuously to the chamber-officer appointed by the bishop’s license to receive it.

The heart that is generous and kind most resembles God.

I belong to the givers. I want to give a little happiness even if I haven’t had much for myself. Music has enriched my life and, hopefully – through me, a little – the public’s. If anyone left an opera house feeling more happy and at peace, I achieved my purpose.

You should never take more than you give.

I’m shrewd about money; I invest well and look after it. But it’s in my nature to be generous. I look after people.