St. Philip Neri said.....

[Denise]

"We can never arrive at the contemplative life, if we do not first exercise ourselves laboriously in the active life."

[Denise]

"We must exercise the spirit which God gives us in prayer, and follow that; so that, when, for example, it inclines us to meditate on the Passion, we must not wish to meditate on some other mystery."

[Denise]

"When a person goes to communion, he ought to follow the same spirit he had in prayer, and not be casting about for new meditations."

[Denise]

"We must never pray for a favor for anyone, except conditionally, saying, 'If it please God,' or the like."

[Denise]

"When a spiritual person feels a great calmness of mind in asking anything of God, it is a good sign that God either has granted it, or will do so shortly."

[Denise]

"A man ought never to think he has done any good, or rest contented with any degree of perfection he may have attained, because Christ has given us the type of our perfection, in putting before us the perfection of the Eternal Father. Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect."

[Denise]

"The sweetness which some experience in prayer, is milk which our Lord gives as a relish to those who are just beginning to serve Him."

[Denise]

"To leave our prayer when we are called to do some act of charity for our neighbor, is not really a quitting of prayer, but leaving Christ for Christ, that is, depriving ourselves of spiritual sweetnesses in order to gain souls."

[Denise]

"It is good for a man to go from prayer rather with an appetite and desire to return to it, than satiated and weary."

[Denise]

"The wisdom of the Scriptures is learned rather by prayer than by study."

[Denise]

"A diligent charity in ministering to the sick, is a compendious way to the acquisition of perfect virtue."

[Denise]

This quote probably won't go over well with many people We have to remember it was said by him in the mid 1500s

"Let women remain indoors, and look after their families, and not be desirous of going into public."

[Denise]

"We must pray incessantly for the gift of perseverance."

[Denise]

"We must not leave off our prayers because of distractions and restlessness of mind, although it seems useless to go on with them. He who perseveres for the whole of his accustomed time, gently recalling his mind to the subject of his prayer, merits greatly."

[Denise]

"If in times of dryness in prayer we make acts of humility, self-knowledge, protestations of our own inability to help ourselves, and petitions for God's assistance, all this is real and substantial prayer."