"So with that will prompt and prepared to serve all those whom I perceive to be servants of my Lord, I will speak of three things with simplicity and love as if I were speaking to my own soul"
About this Quote
The most consequential phrase is "whom I perceive". Service is offered, but it is filtered through Loyola's discernment. That single verb implies a hierarchy of vision: he will decide who counts as "servants of my Lord", and therefore who falls inside the circle of care. The line performs a classic move of religious leadership: it insists on self-effacement while simultaneously reserving the right to define the terms of belonging.
Then comes the disarming turn: "with simplicity and love as if I were speaking to my own soul". Loyola is staging intimacy to increase compliance. By claiming he speaks to himself, he bypasses the defensiveness of the listener; correction can be received as shared spiritual hygiene rather than reprimand. The "three things" signals structure, not spontaneity: a pedagogy that makes faith teachable, repeatable, exportable. In the context of the Catholic Reformation, this is strategy wearing the mask of tenderness - a way to form disciplined subjects who feel personally seen while being carefully directed.
Quote Details
| Topic | Faith |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Loyola, Ignatius. (2026, January 15). So with that will prompt and prepared to serve all those whom I perceive to be servants of my Lord, I will speak of three things with simplicity and love as if I were speaking to my own soul. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/so-with-that-will-prompt-and-prepared-to-serve-153459/
Chicago Style
Loyola, Ignatius. "So with that will prompt and prepared to serve all those whom I perceive to be servants of my Lord, I will speak of three things with simplicity and love as if I were speaking to my own soul." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/so-with-that-will-prompt-and-prepared-to-serve-153459/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"So with that will prompt and prepared to serve all those whom I perceive to be servants of my Lord, I will speak of three things with simplicity and love as if I were speaking to my own soul." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/so-with-that-will-prompt-and-prepared-to-serve-153459/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.




