Humility is the root of every virtue. As the flower receives its
nourishment from the root, and withers when it is cut off from it, so
virtue, however perfect it may be, languishes and dies if it be not
rooted in humility.--_Nouet._
Bees suck honey from the lily, the iris and the rose; but they draw it
also from the smallest flowers, such as rosemary and thyme. Indeed,
they gather more honey from the latter, and it is of a better quality;
because more closely confined in the smaller flowers and better
preserved. Thus is charity practised, both more frequently and with
more humility, in lowly exercises of devotion, and consequently with
greater perfection and holiness.--_Francis of Sales._