François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, more commonly known as François Fénelon, was a French Roman Catholic archbishop, theologian, poet and writer. He is most notably known as the author of The Adventures of Telemachus, first published in 1699. Although confined to the Cambrai archdiocese in his later years, Fénelon continued to act as a spiritual director for Mme de Maintenon, as well as the ducs de de Chevreuse and de Beauvilliers, the duke of Burgundy, and other prominent individuals.
Fénelon was born on 6 August 1651 at the Château de Fénelon, in Sainte-Mondane, Périgord, Aquitaine, in the Dordogne river valley. Fénelon’s early education was provided in the Château de Fénelon by private tutors. In about 1675, when he would have been 24, Fénelon was ordained as a priest. In his later years Fénelon wrote about the dangers of power in government. Fénelon is still admired for his defense of Human Rights.
1 Carefully purify your conscience from daily faults; suffer no sin to dwell in your heart; small as it may seem, it obscures the light of grace. -Francois Fenelon
Keep your conscience clean. Let no sinful thought take hold of your mind. No matter how small it may seem, one small sin has the power to corrupt you from within, rendering you unable to see right from wrong.
2 We think that our afflictions will be greater than we can bear, but we do not know the strength of our own hearts, nor the power of God. -Francois Fenelon
No matter what it is that life throws at you, have faith. Never lose hope for your heart is stronger than you may think it is. There’s nothing that can break you unless you let it do so. In the end, things always work out.
3 Pure love is in the will alone; it is no sentimental love, for the imagination has no part in it. -Francois Fenelon
True love is unconditional. It cannot be explained for it transcends the ideas of logic. Pure love just happens, without you having to do much.
4 The more perfect we are, the more gentle and quiet we become toward the defects of other people. -Francois Fenelon
True novelty comes when you can look beyond the defects and flaws of others. Only when one learns to accept people for what they are, overlooking their imperfections, can they become truly great.
5 All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers. -Francois Fenelon
The borders that divide us are only artificial. We are all part of a larger whole. The things that unite us are stronger than the borders that divide us. And all wars fought in the name of power, land and resources are essentially just civil wars for we are united.
6 You can often help others more by correcting your own faults than theirs. -Francois Fenelon
Before you try to correct their mistakes, you should first look within yourself. Introspect and improve. You do more good to others and yourself if you correct your own faults than if you correct them.
7 The more you say, the less people remember. -Francois Fenelon
The more words you use, the lesser people will understand you. Learn to say more with less words. And know when to stay silent and when to speak. Sometimes, silence holds more meaning than any amount of words can.
8 All earthly delights are sweeter in expectation than in enjoyment; but all spiritual pleasures more in fruition than in expectation. -Francois Fenelon
Everything seems better when it is out of your reach. But all of that goodness is lost when you finally attain it. But the spiritual delights are the ones that truly matter in life, more so than we may expect it to.
9 As long as anything in this world means anything to you, your freedom is only a word -Francois Fenelon
As long as you are attached to materialistic desires, you can never truly be free. True freedom comes when you detach yourself from all the worldly desires. Until then, you are chained to your passions, and there’s only so much freedom you can enjoy.
10 Violent excitement exhausts the mind and leaves it withered and sterile. -Francois Fenelon
The ability to stay calm is an important virtue. Excitement, if violent and overt, does more harm than good. It leaves your mind restless and unable of clear thought.
11 We must truly serve those whom we appear to command, we must bear with their imperfections, correct them with gentleness and patience. -Francois Fenelon
The ones you command and lead are the ones you should actually serve. They are your responsibility. You need to look beyond their faults and lead them through a better path.
12 What we think will overwhelm us entirely only subdues and conquers our pride. -Francois Fenelon
The hardships that we face only exist to help us see our true selves. They break us and in the process, show us the importance of humility. One who has suffered enough in life understands humility.
13 Each one owes infinitely more to the human race than to the particular country in which he was born. -Francois Fenelon
Nationalism blinds to the much greater duty that we have to mankind. It divides us by borders and makes us hate each other. We owe more to mankind than we do to our country.
14 If we were faultless we should not be so much annoyed by the defects of those with whom we associate. -Francois Fenelon
As long as we ourselves are imperfect we cannot truly ignore the faults of others. We see our own images in others. And that is what annoys us.
15 I love my country better than my family, but I love humanity better than my country. -Francois Fenelon
We sure do need to love our country more than we do our family. But you cannot let the love for your nation blind you to the duty you have towards humankind. It is humanity that comes first before anything else.
15 Most Amazing Quotes by French Archbishop Francois Fenelon
1. Carefully purify your conscience from daily faults; suffer no sin to dwell in your heart; small as it may seem, it obscures the light of grace. -Francois Fenelon
2. We think that our afflictions will be greater than we can bear, but we do not know the strength of our own hearts, nor the power of God. -Francois Fenelon
3. Pure love is in the will alone; it is no sentimental love, for the imagination has no part in it. -Francois Fenelon
4. The more perfect we are, the more gentle and quiet we become toward the defects of other people. -Francois Fenelon
5. All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers. -Francois Fenelon
6. You can often help others more by correcting your own faults than theirs. -Francois Fenelon
7. The more you say, the less people remember. -Francois Fenelon
8. All earthly delights are sweeter in expectation than in enjoyment; but all spiritual pleasures more in fruition than in expectation. -Francois Fenelon
9. As long as anything in this world means anything to you, your freedom is only a word -Francois Fenelon
10. Violent excitement exhausts the mind and leaves it withered and sterile. -Francois Fenelon
11. We must truly serve those whom we appear to command, we must bear with their imperfections, correct them with gentleness and patience. -Francois Fenelon
12. What we think will overwhelm us entirely only subdues and conquers our pride. -Francois Fenelon
13. Each one owes infinitely more to the human race than to the particular country in which he was born. -Francois Fenelon
14. If we were faultless we should not be so much annoyed by the defects of those with whom we associate. -Francois Fenelon
15. I love my country better than my family, but I love humanity better than my country. -Francois Fenelon
