An Ordinary Friar With No Claim To Eloquence

St. Francis used to say that we should feel sorry for a preacher who sought their own glory in their work and not the good of their listeners, or who destroyed by the example of their bad life what they had accomplished by his teaching. Such a man was devoid of any true religious spirit. He maintained that an ordinary friar with no claim to eloquence was in a better position because he encouraged others to do good by his good example.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER VIII