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Let Go
A collection of spiritual letters written by Francois Fenelon, a Catholic bishop, to various persons to whom he was a spiritual advisor. Over 300 years later, his spiritual insights in these letters continue to inspire, challenge and bless Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical alike.
72 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 1973
197 people are currently reading
476 people want to read
About the author
François Fénelon
1,731 books67 followersFrançois de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, a Roman Catholic theologian and poet, wrote in France. He today is remembered mostly as one of the main advocates of quietism and as the author of The Adventures of Telemachus, a scabrous attack on the French monarchy, first published in 1699.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
May 13, 2025
Take it from an Old Layabout Oisif like me -
You gotta LET GO of your Workaday Wormies!
Actually, it’s easier said than done...
Let’s reopen the ledger on the great - and greatly misunderstood - Francois Fenelon! I think it’s high time.
Why do I say that?
Because even the senior French clerics of the Age of Reason seem to have been infected with La Rochefoucauldian irony, and dissed this poor priest.
Fenelon, God bless ‘im, just wanted to be LEFT ALONE IN PEACE AND QUIET, letting others in on the secret of Peace.
And that’s all you’ll find here.
Peace and Quiet.
And nourishing Rest for your Soul.
So just Let Go of the sketchy things and people in your life!
And, just a few years ago, that’s all Thomas Merton wanted too...
Growing up in wartime Britain, Merton had had a disastrous romantic liaison, and had come to rue the day he came into this sorry world. For, like Fenelon, all he wanted was Peace.
He soon thereafter endured an intense spiritual crisis. But there was no escaping its fury - and the intense ordeal by fire Europe had just plunged into was worse.
He sought the Water of Life for his parched spirit, and found it in the faraway valleys near Louisville, Kentucky, in an isolated Catholic monastery, the Abbey of Gethsemane.
You can read the whole story in his runaway bestseller, The Seven Story Mountain.
Well, Merton stayed put in the Abbey of Gethsemane for almost all his life - with the exception of a few trips, on one of which his life came to an accidental end, in remote Bangkok.
But within the Abbey, he begged his Superior, like Fenelon and the later Saint Alphonse did, to be relieved of more and more of his daily duties - at a more distant one-man hermitage.
Peace and quiet.
Merton had discovered the root and the hunger of ALL religion, in the peace which had at first arduously, and now gently, burst into bloom within his own weary soul.
A peace which beckoned to him from an Eternity whose tranquility seemed bottomless. Oh, to forsake this wearisome world and its questionable pursuits!
He was tiring of the long, fractious struggle, and just wanted to meditate on the final End and Beginning of all things.
Too cool for rules?
Well, he had seen through the negative reinforcements of his superiors and the power games of his fellow monks - as well as the bitterly ugly games of the major world powers - and, by finding solace in prayer, had learned “the purification of the motive in the ground of his beseeching.”
He wished to be at last free of the fruitless power games of the world, and wanted just to be left alone.
But peace comes at an enormous price, and he, as Fenelon had found out centuries earlier, met with stern and unyielding resistance...
Have you ever vowed, like these saintly men, to find peace in the end for your wounded soul, at any price?
If so, I think you would like this beautiful and very modern rendering of a Fenelon classic.
Peace is always so deucedly hard to find, especially nowadays, but you can enter its unhurried aura in this little book.
And find your way back home!
It’s written in your natural language. It’s sure to replenish the drought in your soul if you read it (it’s not very expensive, and it is written in simple street talk).
And if you do, I wish for you: “la tienne si toujours la délice!” -
May you finally and eternally savour the delight of Peace and Quiet...
And Francis Fenelon will gently lead you to it:
The end of all our fruitless beginnings.
Here is a sample from the Audiobook!
https://youtu.be/yaI2sK-Lwyg
You gotta LET GO of your Workaday Wormies!
Actually, it’s easier said than done...
Let’s reopen the ledger on the great - and greatly misunderstood - Francois Fenelon! I think it’s high time.
Why do I say that?
Because even the senior French clerics of the Age of Reason seem to have been infected with La Rochefoucauldian irony, and dissed this poor priest.
Fenelon, God bless ‘im, just wanted to be LEFT ALONE IN PEACE AND QUIET, letting others in on the secret of Peace.
And that’s all you’ll find here.
Peace and Quiet.
And nourishing Rest for your Soul.
So just Let Go of the sketchy things and people in your life!
And, just a few years ago, that’s all Thomas Merton wanted too...
Growing up in wartime Britain, Merton had had a disastrous romantic liaison, and had come to rue the day he came into this sorry world. For, like Fenelon, all he wanted was Peace.
He soon thereafter endured an intense spiritual crisis. But there was no escaping its fury - and the intense ordeal by fire Europe had just plunged into was worse.
He sought the Water of Life for his parched spirit, and found it in the faraway valleys near Louisville, Kentucky, in an isolated Catholic monastery, the Abbey of Gethsemane.
You can read the whole story in his runaway bestseller, The Seven Story Mountain.
Well, Merton stayed put in the Abbey of Gethsemane for almost all his life - with the exception of a few trips, on one of which his life came to an accidental end, in remote Bangkok.
But within the Abbey, he begged his Superior, like Fenelon and the later Saint Alphonse did, to be relieved of more and more of his daily duties - at a more distant one-man hermitage.
Peace and quiet.
Merton had discovered the root and the hunger of ALL religion, in the peace which had at first arduously, and now gently, burst into bloom within his own weary soul.
A peace which beckoned to him from an Eternity whose tranquility seemed bottomless. Oh, to forsake this wearisome world and its questionable pursuits!
He was tiring of the long, fractious struggle, and just wanted to meditate on the final End and Beginning of all things.
Too cool for rules?
Well, he had seen through the negative reinforcements of his superiors and the power games of his fellow monks - as well as the bitterly ugly games of the major world powers - and, by finding solace in prayer, had learned “the purification of the motive in the ground of his beseeching.”
He wished to be at last free of the fruitless power games of the world, and wanted just to be left alone.
But peace comes at an enormous price, and he, as Fenelon had found out centuries earlier, met with stern and unyielding resistance...
Have you ever vowed, like these saintly men, to find peace in the end for your wounded soul, at any price?
If so, I think you would like this beautiful and very modern rendering of a Fenelon classic.
Peace is always so deucedly hard to find, especially nowadays, but you can enter its unhurried aura in this little book.
And find your way back home!
It’s written in your natural language. It’s sure to replenish the drought in your soul if you read it (it’s not very expensive, and it is written in simple street talk).
And if you do, I wish for you: “la tienne si toujours la délice!” -
May you finally and eternally savour the delight of Peace and Quiet...
And Francis Fenelon will gently lead you to it:
The end of all our fruitless beginnings.
Here is a sample from the Audiobook!
https://youtu.be/yaI2sK-Lwyg
April 25, 2019
One of my favorite books! If you're a Christian and you're serious about following Christ with a whole heart, you need LET GO, a book written hundreds of years ago, but still relevant today. Here's one of my favorite quotes: "When it comes to accomplishing things for God, you will find that high aspirations, enthusiastic feelings, careful planning and being able to express yourself well are not worth very much. The important thing is absolute surrender to God. You can do anything He wants you to do if you are walking in the light of full surrender."
July 21, 2019
Advanced stuff.Very challenging and very humbling.
June 28, 2014
At a surface glance, one could believe that Francois Fenelon was a Stoic and that he wanted to promote those teachings.
But that's not what is truly behind the hard words he wrote to encourage those who needed his written attention.
He puts his finger directly on the source of the pain, ache or suffering and then he offered words to the contrary of many others since him who would tell one who suffers to find comfort in sweet verses from scripture and endure it until the worst has passed.
Fenelon basically says "Don't waste this opportunity to mortify self so that God can make Himself known through you."
In other words: "Does it hurt? Good! Let's embrace that pain and sing God's praises from the ash heap." He penned these words with such a loving hand that it's impossible to believe he doesn't mean the words for your good. He simply would not have Christians waste the opportunity to die to self so that God could increase in their life.
He even speaks plainly to those who would try to study God from the abstract of theory. If you want to know about God; experience Him, don't do Him the dishonor of thinking you can learn all you need from books..otherwise God becomes a theory and one's faith is actually in ones' self and intellect...and the god they carefully construct to their own liking.
Experiencing God is most often easier through the tool of pain: we are all ears and a captive audience. So much so that once the shadow's darkness has passed, one may find that they miss the sweet comfort of finding God while alone out in the wilderness.
A short book! But I could only take it in small doses. A good book! If mine wasn't an ebook, I would have ruined the spine when I underlined and wrote notes so much in the margins. A hard book! The words push you closer to the flames - but it was in the flames that the 3 Hebrew children found their salvation.
Final analysis: if you want to be truly free, let go of yourself. If the flames kill you, then you will find yourself in the arms of God where He will wipe the remnants of your tears and sorrow away forever. Most likely, those flames will only leave you more free than you'd ever imagined.
But that's not what is truly behind the hard words he wrote to encourage those who needed his written attention.
He puts his finger directly on the source of the pain, ache or suffering and then he offered words to the contrary of many others since him who would tell one who suffers to find comfort in sweet verses from scripture and endure it until the worst has passed.
Fenelon basically says "Don't waste this opportunity to mortify self so that God can make Himself known through you."
In other words: "Does it hurt? Good! Let's embrace that pain and sing God's praises from the ash heap." He penned these words with such a loving hand that it's impossible to believe he doesn't mean the words for your good. He simply would not have Christians waste the opportunity to die to self so that God could increase in their life.
He even speaks plainly to those who would try to study God from the abstract of theory. If you want to know about God; experience Him, don't do Him the dishonor of thinking you can learn all you need from books..otherwise God becomes a theory and one's faith is actually in ones' self and intellect...and the god they carefully construct to their own liking.
Experiencing God is most often easier through the tool of pain: we are all ears and a captive audience. So much so that once the shadow's darkness has passed, one may find that they miss the sweet comfort of finding God while alone out in the wilderness.
A short book! But I could only take it in small doses. A good book! If mine wasn't an ebook, I would have ruined the spine when I underlined and wrote notes so much in the margins. A hard book! The words push you closer to the flames - but it was in the flames that the 3 Hebrew children found their salvation.
Final analysis: if you want to be truly free, let go of yourself. If the flames kill you, then you will find yourself in the arms of God where He will wipe the remnants of your tears and sorrow away forever. Most likely, those flames will only leave you more free than you'd ever imagined.
October 30, 2021
What a treasure this book is!
In forty short and thoughtful letters François Fénelon shared his philosophy on letting go and surrendering to God. Thankfully this manuscript has been preserved and is still available to us today.
I read this book because my pastor recommended it along with A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards.
This is the kind of book that begs for rereading. It is simple to understand, but human beings need reminders. It is perfect for a daily devotional. My pastor has reread it many times and told me he now reads one letter per week. Good idea, to study one letter for a week rather than rush through it, but I admit I was not so patient on my first reading.
In forty short and thoughtful letters François Fénelon shared his philosophy on letting go and surrendering to God. Thankfully this manuscript has been preserved and is still available to us today.
I read this book because my pastor recommended it along with A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards.
This is the kind of book that begs for rereading. It is simple to understand, but human beings need reminders. It is perfect for a daily devotional. My pastor has reread it many times and told me he now reads one letter per week. Good idea, to study one letter for a week rather than rush through it, but I admit I was not so patient on my first reading.
January 17, 2008
I've been reading and rereading this book for years, a little at a time. It's a collection of letters written as spiritual direction in the 17th century in a very readable modern translation. It *always* helps my attitude. Here's an example:
I would also warn you of the temptation of "humble talk." It is so easy to talk in very humble ways simply because it sounds good. But it is far better to be humble and say nothing about it. The humility that can still talk needs to be carefully watched! The old self gets a lot of comfort out of what it says to itself.
Convicting!
I would also warn you of the temptation of "humble talk." It is so easy to talk in very humble ways simply because it sounds good. But it is far better to be humble and say nothing about it. The humility that can still talk needs to be carefully watched! The old self gets a lot of comfort out of what it says to itself.
Convicting!
April 22, 2018
This was a selection picked by my bookclub. I have often heard of Fenelon but have never read him.
This little book was a perfect spring bookclub selection being very short.
I tend towards Stocism and find I am in good company here. In some places he seems to go to far for Christian
comfort but all in all there are many good reminders. The most encouraging is that I don't have to grapple
with myself, I need to forget about 'me'.
This little book was a perfect spring bookclub selection being very short.
I tend towards Stocism and find I am in good company here. In some places he seems to go to far for Christian
comfort but all in all there are many good reminders. The most encouraging is that I don't have to grapple
with myself, I need to forget about 'me'.
February 24, 2022
Convicting
It is not a long read, but I believe should be read on the slower side. Give these amazing words time to sink in. Really meditate on the musings of the author. A collection of letters from Fenelon to his spiritual charges, every pastor can see his heart in the charges given. Obviously there are little things that I think are slanted by his Catholic background and devotion as a monk. Still, very helpful for the leaders of the men and women in our churches.
It is not a long read, but I believe should be read on the slower side. Give these amazing words time to sink in. Really meditate on the musings of the author. A collection of letters from Fenelon to his spiritual charges, every pastor can see his heart in the charges given. Obviously there are little things that I think are slanted by his Catholic background and devotion as a monk. Still, very helpful for the leaders of the men and women in our churches.
November 16, 2022
must read!! It's all about taking up our cross, dying to self daily, and following Jesus, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!🥺
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2020
Great Read
A brilliant call to a life of death to self and life in Christ. Will read this again. My soul is encouraged and challenged.
A brilliant call to a life of death to self and life in Christ. Will read this again. My soul is encouraged and challenged.
January 23, 2018
This is a book I go back to when I need to be reminded of certain truths. Fenelon lays the blame for most of life's issues on selfishness, self-centeredness, the desire to please ourselves. He reminds me that we have two jobs in this world and two only:
to know Christ and to make Christ known. Everything else can just fall away... there is peace in letting go all the unnecessary things.
to know Christ and to make Christ known. Everything else can just fall away... there is peace in letting go all the unnecessary things.
July 8, 2020
These are lovely letters are from Bishop Fénelon when he was directing his spiritual children that struggled with life. We encounter the same struggles as they did. Against self, against the lifeless world that is around us. From this book I learned that we should "Let Go" these and surrender our life in the hands of God.
March 22, 2012
11th book read in 2012.
Number 53 out of 243 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tQVCM...
Number 53 out of 243 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tQVCM...
December 31, 2017
One of the few books I have read multiple times. This book will cause you to deeply examine your heart, your faith and shine light on the darkness within you
September 19, 2017
his best i think. extreme and simple. such an important message, death to self.
June 6, 2018
A book on the small but largely profound lessons of trusting, denying self and reflecting and resting in Christ.
July 5, 2018
Very encouraging
This book is a classic and favorite of mine over the years. Very encouraging and thought provoking. A must read devotional.
This book is a classic and favorite of mine over the years. Very encouraging and thought provoking. A must read devotional.
December 8, 2019
There are gems of wisdom, but sometimes the language is clunky.
July 23, 2024
Read for the second time as devotional. Absolutely brutal for the flesh but good for the spirit!!
March 17, 2025
Thought provoking collection of letters. Here are some of my favorite lines:
“If we find ourselves rebelling and getting irritable, we should understand that this irritability under correction is worse than all our other fault put together. And we know that correction is not going to make us any more humbled than it finds us. If we have a resentment of being corrected, that just shows how deeply correction is needed.”
“I have no doubt that God considers you to be one of his friends; otherwise he would not trust you with so many crosses, suffering, and humiliations. Crosses, are God’s means of drawing souls closer to himself. And these crosses accomplish his purposes much more rapidly and effectively than all of our personal efforts put together. Crosses destroy self love at its very root, down in the depths of the human spirit where we can hardly detect it, but God knows where it is lodged, and he attacks it in its greatest strongholds.”
“It seems to me that you need to be a little more big hearted about the imperfection of other people…If there is onemark of perfection, it is simply that it can tolerate the imperfections of others. It is able to adjust. It becomes all things to all men.”
“I cannot express to you how deeply I sympathize with you and your time of suffering. I suffer right along with you, but still, it cheers me up to know that God loves you. And the very proof that God loves you is that he does not spare you but lay upon you the cross of Jesus Christ. Whatever spiritual knowledge or feelings we may have, they are all a delusion if they do not lead us to the real and constant practice of dying to self. And it is true that we do not die without suffering.”
“Though it sounds strange to say it, I am rejoicing that God has reduced you to a state of weakness. Your ego can neither be convinced nor forced into submission by any other means: it is always finding secret lines of supply from your own courage; it is always discovering Impenetrable retreats in your own cleverness. It was hidden from your eyes, while fed upon the subtle poison of an apparent generosity as you constantly sacrificed yourself for others.”
“If we find ourselves rebelling and getting irritable, we should understand that this irritability under correction is worse than all our other fault put together. And we know that correction is not going to make us any more humbled than it finds us. If we have a resentment of being corrected, that just shows how deeply correction is needed.”
“I have no doubt that God considers you to be one of his friends; otherwise he would not trust you with so many crosses, suffering, and humiliations. Crosses, are God’s means of drawing souls closer to himself. And these crosses accomplish his purposes much more rapidly and effectively than all of our personal efforts put together. Crosses destroy self love at its very root, down in the depths of the human spirit where we can hardly detect it, but God knows where it is lodged, and he attacks it in its greatest strongholds.”
“It seems to me that you need to be a little more big hearted about the imperfection of other people…If there is onemark of perfection, it is simply that it can tolerate the imperfections of others. It is able to adjust. It becomes all things to all men.”
“I cannot express to you how deeply I sympathize with you and your time of suffering. I suffer right along with you, but still, it cheers me up to know that God loves you. And the very proof that God loves you is that he does not spare you but lay upon you the cross of Jesus Christ. Whatever spiritual knowledge or feelings we may have, they are all a delusion if they do not lead us to the real and constant practice of dying to self. And it is true that we do not die without suffering.”
“Though it sounds strange to say it, I am rejoicing that God has reduced you to a state of weakness. Your ego can neither be convinced nor forced into submission by any other means: it is always finding secret lines of supply from your own courage; it is always discovering Impenetrable retreats in your own cleverness. It was hidden from your eyes, while fed upon the subtle poison of an apparent generosity as you constantly sacrificed yourself for others.”
February 1, 2020
This didn't take so long to read because it's long or difficult to read; it took so long because there's so much good info on each page that I took my time reading and meditating on each short chapter.
Fenelon doesn't pull any punches. He doesn't try to sugarcoat Christianity or the struggles we will endure (which are many and painful). He does, however, encourage Christians to press on with the reminder that God's promises don't fail and the pain WILL be worth the sacrifice.
There's a common misconception that the Christian life will be easy and carefree, which causes many contemporary Christians to struggle in their faith when things get hard. This book is perfect for that person. It doesn't offer false hope that things will get better; instead, it reminds the reader that the struggles are should be expected and can be celebrated.
Perfect for someone wanting to deepen his/her relationship with the Lord.
Fenelon doesn't pull any punches. He doesn't try to sugarcoat Christianity or the struggles we will endure (which are many and painful). He does, however, encourage Christians to press on with the reminder that God's promises don't fail and the pain WILL be worth the sacrifice.
There's a common misconception that the Christian life will be easy and carefree, which causes many contemporary Christians to struggle in their faith when things get hard. This book is perfect for that person. It doesn't offer false hope that things will get better; instead, it reminds the reader that the struggles are should be expected and can be celebrated.
Perfect for someone wanting to deepen his/her relationship with the Lord.
June 2, 2025
(3.0)
I can tell this book was written in then 17th centurary by an Archbishop as it is very heavy handed with the message of suffering with Christ and dying on the cross. While this is not wrong, the overemphasis of this runs the danger of diluting the biblical picture in its entirety, watering down the fatherly love of God to His children and possibly promoting a (to me) scary sect of Catholicism that promotes self-flagellation at worse, and at best a faith overly focused on the sin nature of humanity over the love and grace of God. I know the pendulum has swung in recent times to only the love of God, and this too is skewed. I pray to God I can find the balance in the push and pull of recognizing I’m a sinner in desperate need of help and further sanctification of my heart, as well as rejoicing that I am a beloved child of the most high God.
I can tell this book was written in then 17th centurary by an Archbishop as it is very heavy handed with the message of suffering with Christ and dying on the cross. While this is not wrong, the overemphasis of this runs the danger of diluting the biblical picture in its entirety, watering down the fatherly love of God to His children and possibly promoting a (to me) scary sect of Catholicism that promotes self-flagellation at worse, and at best a faith overly focused on the sin nature of humanity over the love and grace of God. I know the pendulum has swung in recent times to only the love of God, and this too is skewed. I pray to God I can find the balance in the push and pull of recognizing I’m a sinner in desperate need of help and further sanctification of my heart, as well as rejoicing that I am a beloved child of the most high God.
March 28, 2021
A wonderful series of letter's from a spiritual father to those he is encouraging. I was constantly shaken awake by the nature of his encouragement however... summarised:
"accept this suffering from the hand of God, for He knows you & it is better you trust the Great surgeon to conduct the surgery you need, without resistance."
This short book was beautiful. Encouraging. And often very practical. If you want to walk closer with your God, and know His peace, allowing this book to change your perspective on how He deals with us is a great tool for helping you in that.
"accept this suffering from the hand of God, for He knows you & it is better you trust the Great surgeon to conduct the surgery you need, without resistance."
This short book was beautiful. Encouraging. And often very practical. If you want to walk closer with your God, and know His peace, allowing this book to change your perspective on how He deals with us is a great tool for helping you in that.
June 17, 2021
Cutting straight to the heart of things, this book is full of merciless self-examination. The battle of the flesh and the spirit are shown in clear, vivid pictures! I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ...but be warned! Fenelon is straight-up and tells it like it is. If you are interested in staying right where you are at in blissful ignorance, don't read! But if you are interested in the pursuit and the battle of holiness - read on! This book is for you. :))
February 8, 2022
I love Fénelon’s writings, the way he inspires me to greater heights of knowing Christ. I especially love this book. Sometimes, I think the writings of mystic writers who lived solitary lives can come across as impossible for us to follow who live normal and busy lives. But this book is a series of letters written by Fénelon to one who was living a busy life in society, and I felt like I could connect and identify with the challenges mentioned.
May 20, 2025
“I have a great liking for John the Baptist, who completely forgot himself so that he might think only of Jesus. He pointed to him. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness to prepare His way. He sent all of his disciples to Him. And it was his willingness to magnify Jesus, far more than his solitary and strict life, that entitled him to be called the greatest among them that are born of women.”
May 7, 2022
This book is a collection of brief letters written to friends & collogues of Fenelon's. They are his encouragements & straight forward corrections to those of his time who were trying to walk with Christ in relationship rather than religiously. There are many practical exhortations that readers today can glean from.
October 16, 2017
So GOOD. I should read a bit everyday, several times a day
So GOOD. I should read a bit everyday, several times a day. Simple truths, simply presented, without unnecessary adornment convey God’s Truth.
So GOOD. I should read a bit everyday, several times a day. Simple truths, simply presented, without unnecessary adornment convey God’s Truth.
October 11, 2022
Really great book! Makes an awesome daily devotional with the 1-2 page chapters. Very challenging but helps convey and demonstrate what truly “letting go” in surrender looks like in reality to us. A great companion to Madame Guyon’s Experiencing the Depths.
April 9, 2023
The "To Get Peace & Real Joy" sub-title isn't necessary. Profound read, with very short chapters based on letters Fenelon wrote to mentees. For those committed to surrendering every part of their hearts to Christ.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews