"'A society must have its own spirit. The spirit of a society is like the soul that gives life to the body: if the spirit is good all goes well. The spirit of the Society of Mary is essentially a spirit of modesty. The name we bear alone is an indication of that. It should be a spirit of charity, of humility, of modesty. And so in the Society we must be as it were hidden and unknown in the world. That, Messieurs, is an important point for us. We must let ourselves be forgotten by men. Our spirit prompts us not to rely on men"
(FS 174:1-3)