Do not pray for the fulfillment of your wishes, for they may not accord with the will of God. But pray as you have been taught, saying: Thy will be done in me (cf. Luke 22:42). Always entreat Him in this way - that His will be done. For He [...]

Afflictions that come to us are the result of our own sins. But if we accept them patiently through prayer, we shall again find blessings. St. Mark the Ascetic

'Know thyself: this is true humility, the humility that teaches us to be inwardly humble and makes our heart contrite. Such humility you must cultivate and guard. For if you do not yet know yourself you cannot know what humility is, and have not yet embarked truly on the task [...]

We do not know God from His essence. We know Him rather from the grandeur of His creation and from His providential care for all creatures. For through these, as though they were mirrors, we may attain insight into His infinite goodness, wisdom and power. St Maximos the Confessor

As regards his good qualities, the proud man does not want to be compared with his equals; but as regards his failings, he is quite content to be compared with those worse than himself. Ilias the Presbyter

If everything that exists was made by God and for God, and God is superior to the things made by Him, he who abandons what is superior and devotes himself to what is inferior shows that he values things made by God more than God Himself. St Maximos the Confessor

Guard your mind and you will not be harassed by temptations. But if you fail to guard it, accept patiently whatever trial comes. St. Hesychios the Priest

God and our conscience know our secrets. Let them correct us. St. Mark the Ascetic

If you desire to pray as you ought, do not grieve anyone; otherwise you 'run in vain' (Phil. 2:16). Evagrios the Solitary

When you read Holy Scripture, perceive its hidden meanings. 'For whatever was written in past times was written for our instruction' (Rom. 15:4). St. Mark the Ascetic

It is always possible to make a new start by means of repentance. ‘You fell,’ it is written, ‘now arise’. And if you fall again, then rise again, without despairing at all of your salvation, no matter what happens. So long as you do not surrender yourself willingly to the [...]

It is always possible to make a new start by means of repentance. ‘You fell,’ it is written, ‘now arise’. And if you fall again, then rise again, without despairing at all of your salvation, no matter what happens. So long as you do not surrender yourself willingly to the [...]

Reject all thoughts of greed, and you will be able to see the devil's tricks. He who says he knows all the devil's tricks falls unknowingly into his trap. St. Mark the Ascetic

Do not fetter yourself to a small thing and you will not be enslaved to a greater one. For the greater evil is built up only on the basis of the smaller. By being mindful of greater evils, you will also be fearful of smaller ones; but if you give [...]

When evil thoughts become active within us, we should blame ourselves and not ancestral sin. St. Mark the Ascetic

He who relies on theoretical knowledge alone is not yet a faithful servant: a faithful servant is one who expresses his faith in Christ through obedience to His commandments. St. Mark the Ascetic

The person struggling to enter the kingdom of God must excel in works of righteousness: in almsgiving, by providing out of his own paucity; and in suffering for the sake of peace, by responding to trials with patient endurance in the Lord. Ilias the Presbyter

Created free and called to freedom (cf. Gal. 5:13), do not be enslaved by impure passions. St. Thalassios the Libyan

Psalmody calms the passions and curbs the uncontrolled impulses in the body; and prayer enables the intellect to activate its own energy. Evagrios the Solitary

Blessed is he who can love all men equally. St. Maximos the Confessor