On bad thoughts

If we have an evil thought but repent of it, sincerely wanting to think and live differently, this sin is blotted out immediately. 

On freedom

Some people by the word freedom understand the ability to do whatever one wants…People who have the more allowed themselves to come into slavery to sins, passions, and defilements more often than others appear as zealots of external freedom, wanting to broaden the laws as much as possible.  But such a man uses external freedom only to more severely burden himself with inner slavery.  True freedom is the active ability of a man who is not enslaved to sin, who is not pricked by a condemning conscience, to choose the better in the light of God’s truth, and to bring it into actuality with the help of the gracious power of God.  This is the freedom of which neither heaven nor earth are restrict. 

On boredom, despondency & laziness

Boredom is the grandfather of despondency, and laziness is the daughter.  In order to drive it away, exert yourself at work—do not be lazy at prayer.  Then, boredom will pass and grace will come.  And if you add patience and humility to this, you will spare yourself from much evil.
 

 



How to get help from God

Acknowledge your sinfulness and pride and impatience, and humble yourself under the strong hand of God—accusing no one but yourself, and then you will see divine help:  how God will calm you and cause the hearts of those that oppose you to be favorably disposed towards you. 

 

Making peace

The first and most essential means of making peace with those who offend and persecute us is to pray for them, according to the commandment of Christ. 

St. Paisios on today's world

What I see around me would drive me insane if I did not know that no matter what happens, God will have the last word. 

Give thanks to God for everything. Try to be manly. Pull yourself together a bit. Do you know what Christians are suffering in other countries? There are such difficulties in Russia! But here many exhibit indifference. There’s not enough disposition to kindness, love of devotion. You see, if we don’t begin to make war against evil, to expose those who tempt believers, then the evil will grow larger. If we throw aside fear then the faithful will be emboldened a bit. And those who wage war against the Church will have a harder time. In the past our nation lived spiritually, so God blessed her, and the saints helped us in miraculous fashion. And we were victorious against our enemies, who always outnumbered us. Today we continue to call ourselves Orthodox Christians, but we don’t live Orthodox lives.



The royal path

A person should never make great leaps and bounds in the spiritual life.  He should always move towards God progressively; little by little, but consistently.  It is the middle way that is the royal path.  +Elder Sergei of Vanves 

Note:  the above image is not the book being quoted from