[W]ork at ridding yourself of the esteem you have had up to now for the glitter and sparkle of virtue and the vain applause of the world, which Our Lord so assiduously avoided and so often recommends us to shun, and that you labor in earnest to acquire true and solid virtues.

Remember, Monsieur, that Saint Augustine says that a person who does not obey the doctors is doing his best to kill himself.

I cannot think of the results of your labors without shame at the little we do.

[A] sick mind cannot be cured by the sheer force of persuasion.

I have never made any distinction between those who have taken vows and those who have not; some should not be overburdened in order to spare others.

[I]t is His good pleasure that we remain always in the holy joy of His love.

It is a ruse of the devil, by which he deceives good people, to induce them to do more than they are able, so that they end up not being able to do anything. The spirit of God urges one gently to do the good that can be done reasonably, so that it may be done perseveringly and for a long time.