5. From St. Diadochos

Abstinence is the general name for all virtues. He who is temperate is abstinent in everything. If even a small part of the body is damaged, then the whole person will no longer be whole, even if the damage is small. In the same way, he who neglects even one virtue destroys all abstinence, as if it had never existed.

2. It is necessary not only to be diligent in bodily virtues, but also to be able to purify our inner man. For what is the use of keeping the body a virgin, if the soul commits adultery with a demon through disobedience?

3. What reward does one count on who restrains gluttony and all bodily desires, but does not notice his own self-conceit and vanity?

4. May the reliable bond of the future judgment reveal in God's light the destiny of man, so that there may be no omissions and losses, and may it justify those who do works of righteousness in a spirit of humility.

6. From St. Maximus

After the Resurrection, the Lord said to the Apostles: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19-20). Every person who is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, must fulfill the entire Gospel. The Lord connected the keeping of all the commandments with the right faith precisely because He knew the impossibility of man's salvation if even one of them was omitted.

That is why David, who had acquired the right faith directed towards God, said that I had corrected myself in all his commandments, and that I hated every way of falsehood (cf. Psalm 110:10; 118:128). All the commandments are given to us by the Lord for the denial of every way of unrighteousness. If at least one is forgotten, then the path of evil that is contrary to it will find a continuation in the person himself. The Lord has also given us the strength to keep all the commandments. "Behold," he said, "I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and on all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you (Lk 10:19)

Paul, who received this power and authority, said: "Be ye imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor 11:1). And again: "Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts" (Galatians 5:24). And again: "For me the world is crucified, and I for the world" (Galatians 6:14). All the commandments, although there are many, boil down to one: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy might..., and thy neighbour as thyself" (Lk 10:27). If the ascetic observes it, he fulfills all the commandments to a single one.

7. From Abba Isaac

Passions are like dogs who like to look into butcher shops. If they are chased away, they will run away from the sound of footsteps, and if you do not pay attention, they will begin to climb with the boldness of huge lions.

2. Destroy in yourself a little lust as soon as it begins to arise in you, otherwise you will be inflamed by its unrestrained burning. Increased attention to detail allows you to avoid the most terrible dangers. After all, if you do not defeat the weak, how will you get rid of the strong afterwards?

3. Show God your patience in small things, so that He does not demand from you an account for the great. Let the small become for you the boundary at which you will defeat the enemy, so that he will not be able to direct you to great evil.

4. Whoever is disobedient to the enemy, who inspires him to move five steps away from his cell, will never agree to leave the desert or move to the village. And whoever does not even allow himself to look out of the door of his silent abode under the suggestion of the devil, will in no case succumb to the suggestion to go outside.