Sources of Quotations in
Francis of Assisi As I Knew Him: A Friar’s Recollections
Scholars have long grappled with the veracity of not only the oft-miraculous stories recounted about Francis of Assisi but also particularly with his quotations. Eight hundred years ago, Francis spoke in the Umbrian dialect; his words were written down two to twenty years after his death based on the memories of his brothers. The words were converted into Latin and later into Italian as that language grew in northern Italy, and then the words naturally morphed further when translated into English, German and other languages that had their own evolving usages. The challenge for modern scholars also has been to translate medieval religious concepts into current usage, to disentangle factional agendas from facts, and to drill down to the original documents by identifying later additions. They have found that popular quotes of Francis’s that have been long regarded as genuine are often paraphrased, modified or have come into popular usage without a clear foundational source.
With that said, below are quotations in Francis of Assisi As I Knew Him that are verified in foundational sources, although the exact wording used today in this book and other biographies is often simplified or altered for clarity. Nevertheless, the essence of these quotations give us much to ponder about Francis’s beliefs and actions. They have endured through time because even if imperfect, they convey his extraordinary spirit.
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[About a beggar in his shop]
“He asked for alms in the name of the Lord. I was busy making a sale, and I turned him away. Then I started telling myself, If that poor man had asked something from you in the name of a great count or baron, you certainly would have given it to him. How much more should you have done for the love of God? From now on, I promised myself, I will give money to any beggar who asks.”
Legend of the Three Companions, Chapter I
[At the cave]
“Tell them we’re seeking a great treasure up there.”
Thomas of Celano, First Life, Chapter III, Verse 6
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[Before the Crucifix]
’‘Repair my church out of love for me. You can see it is falling into ruin.’”
Legend of the Three Companions, Chapter V
[Rebuilding San Damiano]
“Whoever gives me one stone will have one reward! Two stones, two rewards! Three stones, a triple reward!"
Legend of the Three Companions, Chapter VII
[A starving brother]
“My brothers, each of you must consider your own nature. If you need more food, don’t try to imitate someone who can do with less. Just as overeating is bad for your body and soul, so is excessive fasting. The Lord wants us to treat our bodies with mercy, not sacrifice. Provide your body with what it needs, in as much as our poverty will allow.”
Legend of Perugia, Chapter 1
[Counsel to brothers on humility]
“We must bear patiently not being good, and not being thought good.”
Celano, Second Life, Chapter CI, Verse 139
[Advice to Rufino]
“The next time the devil tempts you, shit in his mouth!”
Little Flowers of St. Francis, Chapter 29
[When Angelo chased away robbers from Portiuncula]
“Oh, Brother Angelo, you’ve behaved like a man with no religion at all!” … “Serve these unfortunate men with humility and good humor until they are satisfied. Then—and not until then—tell them to stop robbing and killing.”
Little Flowers, Chapter 29
[Francis after Bernardo confesses to eating all the scraps he had gathered in begging]
“You’ve saved nothing for the future! That shows your faith in Our Lord!”
Little Flowers, Chapter 8
[To a depressed brother]
“Don’t be troubled by your thoughts. You are dear to me, and you’re even among those most dear to me. You are my friend. Come to me whenever you want, and from our friendship learn faith.”
Celano, First Life, Chapter 18, Verse 49
[Francis to his brothers]
“Don’t be afraid to preach penance, even if we might appear ignorant and not worth listening to. Put your trust in God to speak through you. You’ll find some people are devout and kind, others will insult and injure you.
Legend of the Three Companions, Chapter X
[To a Franciscan minister]
Even if [listeners] beat you up, consider it a grace, and love those who do these things to you. Don’t even desire that they be better Christians. And this may be better for you than the hermitage!”
Letter to a Minister, about 1221
[About preaching]
“It’s not fitting in God's service to have a gloomy face.”
Mirror of Perfection, Chapter 96
[Dream in Poggio Bustone]
“They were speaking rapidly in many languages and rushing toward us in numbers growing out to the far horizon.”
Celano, First Life, Chapter XI, Verse 27
[Speaking to flock of birds]
“Your Creator gave you feathers to wear, wings to fly, and a home in the pure air. You neither sow nor reap, yet he protects you without your least care.”
Celano, First Life, Chapter XXI, Verse 58
[To noisy swallows]
“My sister swallows, now it’s time for me also to speak, since you’ve already said enough.”
Celano, First Life, Chapter XXI, Verse 59
[In a letter to the public]
“We are mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ when we carry him in our hearts and in our bodies, lovingly, with a pure and sincere conscience.”
First Letter to the Faithful, about 1213 AD
[Question from Brother Masseo to Francis]
“Why you? You’re not a handsome man. You have no great knowledge or wisdom. You’re not of noble birth. Why does the whole world come to you?” ….“You want to know why me, and well you should. Why me? I’ll tell you why. “It’s because God could not have chosen anyone less qualified or more of a sinner than myself -- for God always chooses the weak and the absurd and those who count for nothing.”
Little Flowers, Chapter 10
[To his brothers]
“A brother has not given up all things if he holds on to the purse of his own opinions.”
Celano, Second Life, Chapter CII, Verse 140
[On valuing charity above piety]
“I firmly believe that the Lord and his mother will be more pleased by our giving it to her than if we read from it,” he told us. Another time, he advised brothers that if they found themselves in the absence of alms, they should strip the Holy Mother’s altar of its adornments to give to the needy to sell: “Believe me, she would be happier to have her altar stripped and the gospel of her son followed than to have her altar adorned and his counsel forsaken.”
Legend of Perugia, Chapter 56
[On persistence]
“If a father drives his son out of one door, he must come back in another.”
Celano, Second Life, CVIII, Verse 147
[On avoiding the arrogance of learning]
“When you have a psalter, you’ll want a breviary of daily prayers; and when you have a breviary, you’ll install yourself on a throne like a great prelate, and you’ll command your brother: ‘Bring me my breviary!’”
Legend of Perugia, Chapter 73
[On perfect joy]
“If I were told that every scholar in Paris, all the bishops and archbishops beyond the Alps, and the kings of France and England had joined the order, that should not bring me joy. Nor should it if I discovered that my brothers had converted every infidel, while I was able to heal the sick and perform miracles. But if I walked back from Perugia through the mud on a dark night in winter, and my legs bled from the icicles on the hem of my tunic, and if I had to knock twice at the door of the Portiuncula when I got back and was twice turned away, and if the third time I knocked I was told to go off and find shelter in the leper house – I tell you that if I could stand all this and not be upset, that would be perfect joy.”
Little Flowers, Chapter VIII
[Before Damietta battle]
Before meeting the Sultan: “If I tell [Christian troops] how horrifying I see the outcome of the battle to be, they’ll consider me a fool. If I am silent, I cannot escape my conscience.”
Celano, Second Book, Chapter IV, Verse 30
[About preaching]
…. he urged us not to try to convert Muslims nor to engage in arguments with them, but to serve “every human creature for God’s sake.”
Earlier Rule of the Friars Minor (Regula non bullata), Chapter 16, Verse 3, Section 3, Verse 6
[About discipline in the order]
…I don’t want to become an executioner who punishes and tortures...”
Legend of Perugia, Chapter 76
[About the path of his order]
“My brothers, my brothers, God has called me to follow the way of simplicity. I do not want to hear you pressing some other rule on me – neither Saint Augustine’s, nor Saint Bernard’s, nor Saint Benedict’s. The Lord has told me that he wanted to make of me a new fool in the world, and he does not want us to be guided by any higher learning than that.”
Legend of Perugia, Chapter 114
[On forgoing privileges]
“When the bishops see the holy life that you lead and the respect that you show them, they themselves will ask you to preach and convert the people. This is better than the privileges you clamor for that will lead you into pride.”
Legend of Perugia, Chapter 115
[On the Eucharist]
“The Lord of the Universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles himself that for our salvation he hides himself under an ordinary piece of bread! Brothers, look at the humility of God, and pour out your hearts before him! Humble yourselves that you may be exalted by him!”
Letter to All the Friars, 1225
[Inspiring the brothers]
“Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing.”
Celano, First Life, Chapter 6, Verse 103
[During his final illness]
“My dearest brothers, don’t grow weary or burdened because of my illness… You should tell me, ‘We’re paying your expenses, but Our Lord is the one who owes us back!’”
Mirror of Perfection, Verse 89
[On joyful final nights]
“People will think, How can he show such joy? He should be thinking about death when he is so near it!” Elias had protested. Francis said. “These last years, I’ve thought about my end night and day. So please leave me, brother, to rejoice in the Lord and to praise him for my illnesses.”
Legend of Perugia, Verse 64
“[Absolving brothers of their offenses]
I am being called by God. I forgive all my brothers, present and absent, all their faults and offenses, and I absolve them insofar as I am able.”
Celano, First Life, Chapter VIII, Verse 109
[Dying words to brothers]
“I have done what is mine. May Christ teach you what is yours to do.”
Celano, Second Life, Chapter CXLII, Verse 214
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