10 Practical Tips for Praying the Rosary From St Louis de Montfort

The following 10 quotes come from The Secret of the Rosary by St Louis de Montfort. I recently revisited this little book and was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed and benefited from it. I had attempted to read it about 20 years ago but, for whatever reason, it didn’t resonate with me at the time. This time around, however, I found it both inspiring and deeply enriching.

Let me know your favorite quote in the comments, or share another powerful quote on the Rosary if you have one!

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1. "When the Rosary is well said it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and it is more meritorious for the soul than any other prayer. But it is also the hardest prayer to say well and to persevere in, owing especially to the distractions which almost inevitably attend the constant repetition of the same words." (pg. 112)​

2. "Even if you have to fight distractions all through your whole Rosary be sure to fight well, arms in hand: that is to say, do not stop saying your Rosary even if it is hard to say and you have absolutely no sensible devotion." (pg. 113)​

3. "Before beginning a decade, pause for a moment or two—depending upon how much time you have—and contemplate the mystery that you are about to honor in that decade." (pg. 115)​

4. "Always be sure to ask of Almighty God, by this mystery and through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, one of the virtues that shines forth most in this mystery or one of which you stand in particular need." (pg. 115)​

5. "Take great care to avoid the two pitfalls that most people fall into during the Rosary. The first is the danger of not asking for any graces at all, so that if some people were asked their Rosary intention they would not know what to say. The second big fault a lot of people make when saying the Holy Rosary is to have no intention other than that of getting it over as quickly as possible!" (pg. 115)​

6. "It is really pathetic to see how most people say the Holy Rosary—they say it astonishingly fast and mumble so that the words are not properly pronounced at all. We could not possibly expect anyone, even the most unimportant person, to think that a slipshod address of this kind was a compliment, and yet we expect Jesus and Mary to be pleased with it!" (pg. 116)​

7. "The meditation on the mysteries and the prayers of the Rosary is the easiest of all prayers, because the diversity of the virtues of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the different stages of His life which we study refresh and fortify our mind in a wonderful way and help us to avoid distractions." (pg. 73)​

8. "We must learn this easy form of meditation before progressing to the highest state of contemplation." (pg. 73)​

9. "The best Rosary is the one with the most merit, and there is more merit in praying when it is hard than when it is easy." (pg. 113)​

10. "It is not so much the length of a prayer, but the fervor with which it is said which pleases Almighty God and touches His Heart. One single Hail Mary that is said properly is worth more than one hundred and fifty that are badly said." (pg. 109)​