Repentance lifts a man up. Mourning knocks at heaven's gate. Holy humility opens it.

A proud monk needs no demon. He has turned into one, an enemy to himself.

Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience.

The lover of silence draws close to God. He talks to Him in secret and God enlightens him.

Just as the winds whip up the sea, so does anger stir confusion in the mind.

Forgetting offences is a sign of sincere repentance. If you keep the memory of them, you may believe you have repented but you are like someone running in his sleep. Let no one consider it a minor defect, this darkness that often clouds the eyes even of spiritual people.

Whoever has become a servant of the Lord fears only his Master. But whoever is without the fear of God is often afraid of his own shadow. Fearfulness is the daughter of unbelief. A proud soul is the slave of fear; hoping in itself, in comes to such a state that it is startled by a small noise, and is afraid of the dark.