It is this war of attention and prayer on which both life and death of the soul depend. By attention that we keep our prayer safe and therefore we progress: if we do not have attention to keep it clear and we leave it unguarded, then it is inflected by evil thoughts and we become wicked and hopeless.
St. Symeon the New Theologian
The aim of all those who live in God is to please our Lord Jesus Christ and become reconciled with God the Father through receiving the Holy Spirit, thus securing their salvation, for in this consists the salvation of every soul. If this aim and this activity is lacking, all other labour is useless and all other striving is in vain. Every path of life which does not lead to this is without profit.
St. Symeon the New Theologian
Seek the simplest in all things, in food, clothing, without being ashamed of poverty. For a great part of the world lives in poverty. Do not say, “I am the son of a rich man. It is shameful for me to be in poverty.” Christ, your Heavenly Father, Who gave birth to you in the baptistery, is not in worldly riches. Rather He walked in poverty and had nowhere to lay His head.
St. Gennadius of Constantinople
Three old men once came to Abba Sisoes [St. Sisoes the Great] because they had heard that he was a great man. And the first one said unto him, "Father, how can I escape from the river of fire?" And Abba Sisoes answered him never a word. Then the second old man said to him, "Father, how can I escape from the gnashing of teeth, and from the worm which never dies?" And Abba Sisoes answered him never a word. Then the third old man said to him, "Father, what will I do? For the remembrance of the outer darkness troubles me." And Abba Sisoes answered and said to them, "I never think on any of these things, but I believe that God is Merciful, and that He will show mercy to me"; then the old men went away grieved at the answer which Abba Sisoes had spoken to them. Now because he did not wish to send them away sorrowful, he brought them back, and said to them, "Blessed are ye, O my brothers, for I have been jealous of you"; and they said to him, "In what matter have you been jealous of us?" And he said, "The first one of you spake about a river of fire; and the second spake about the gnashing of teeth and the worm which dies not; and the third spake about the outer darkness; if remembrances of this kind have dominion over your minds it is impossible for you to commit sin. What can I do who am stubborn of heart? For hardness of heart will not allow me to perceive even that there a punishment for men existeth, and because of this I sin every hour." And when the old men had heard these words, they made excuses to him, and said, "In very truth according to what we have heard, even so have we seen."
from Sayings of the Holy Desert Fathers
In going to church, think that you art going to the house of the King of Heaven, where with fear and joy one ought to stand as in heaven before the King of Heaven. While standing in church, do not look around to the sides and do not look at how someone is standing and praying, lest you be condemned with the Pharisee, since you did not come to judge others, but to ask for mercy for yourself from God the Judge and Knower of hearts. Gaze with compunction toward the altar alone, where the holy sacrifice is offered. More than anything else, beware of laughter and conversations, for whoever laughs or converses while standing in church does not render honor to the holy place and tempts others and prevents others from praying.
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk
I ask you to try something. If someone grieves you, or dishonors you, or takes something of yours, then pray like this: “Lord, we are all your creatures. Pity your servants, and turn them to repentance,” and then you will perceptibly bear grace in your soul. Induce your heart to love your enemies, and the Lord, seeing your good will, shall help you in all things, and will Himself show you experience. But whoever thinks evil of his enemies does not have love for God and has not known God.
St. Silouan the Athonite
They tell the story that on one occasion, while the blessed Anthony [St. Anthony the Great] was dwelling in the desert, thoughts of dejection and despair rose up in his mind, and he was in deep gloom of thought, and said to God, "Lord, I wish to live, but my thoughts will not permit me to do so. What will I do in my tribulations to be saved?" And he came a little nearer [to the town] from the place where he was, and he saw a man who was like to himself, and was in his own form, and he was sitting down and twisting palm leaves into ropes ; and this man rose up from his work, and prayed, and afterwards he sat down again and continued his work, and then he stood up once more, and prayed. Now the man was an angel who had been sent from God to correct and to admonish the blessed Anthony, who afterwards heard him say to him, "O Anthony, do you also do this and live"; and when Anthony heard this, the blessed man had great joy, and afterwards he did as the angel had done, and lived.
from Sayings of the Holy Desert Fathers
Such are the souls of the saints: they love their enemies more than themselves, and in this age and in the age to come they put their neighbor first in all things, even though because of his ill-will he may be their enemy. They do not seek recompense from those whom they love, but because they have themselves received they rejoice in giving to others all that they have, so that they may conform to their Benefactor and imitate His compassion to the best of their ability; "for He is bountiful to the thankless and to sinners" (cf. Luke 6:35).
St. Peter of Damascus
In the words of the psalmist, "As you lie in bed, repent of what you say in your heart" (Ps. 4:4 LXX), that is, repent in the stillness of the night, remembering the lapses that occurred in the confusion of the day and disciplining yourself in hymns and spiritual songs (cf. Col. 3:16) – in other words, teaching yourself to persist in prayer and psalmody through attentive meditation on what you read. For the practice of the moral virtues is effectuated by meditating on what has happened during the day, so that during the stillness of the night we can become aware of the sins we have committed and can grieve over them.
St. Peter of Damascus
But in dealing with all struggles as well as every virtue, patience is essential. Not a single virtue can be accomplished without patience; it cannot be sustained without it. He who is shaken in his virtue will not endure to the end and even that which was acquired will be lost.
St. Ignatius Brianchaninov
The Christian is one who imitates Christ in thought, word, and deed, as far as is possible for human beings, believing rightly and blamelessly in the Holy Trinity. The lover of God is he who lives in communion with all that is natural and sinless, and as far as he is able neglects nothing good. The continent man is one who lives in the midst of temptations, snares, and turmoil, and who is eager to imitate with all his might those who are free from turmoil.
St. John Climacus