Do not exalt yourself in glory, and you will not fall into despair.

Strive to do every good deed for the glory of God, and not for your own glory; do not seek praise from people, nor delight in it. Rather, await praise and glory from God alone.

If you see a man on earth who has attained great honor, do not marvel at this; but marvel at the one who has come to hate earthly glory.

If you have become strong in virtue, and the enemy of good stirs others to oppress you, do not be afraid, and do not abandon piety out of fear of man; for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:31).

If you are not deceived when you are flattered, you will not be grieved when you are slandered.

A good soul does not rejoice in flattery and is not angered by insult.

Do not exalt yourself before temptation, for the temptation that comes often puts to shame those who seemed to stand firmly.

A wicked soul, when flattered, is exalted, and when insulted, becomes furious; but a good soul neither rejoices in flattery nor is angered by insult.

Reproach no one, for you do not know what will happen to yourself.

He who believes that there will be judgment judges no one, but guards himself even from small and insignificant things.

It is good to raise up one who has fallen, and not to mock him.

He who rejoices at the fall of the righteous falls twice.

Do not exalt yourself over one who has sinned, and do not encourage to sin one who has not sinned—both are harmful and dangerous.

He who wishes to be a mirror for others must first examine himself.

If you see someone sinning, do not reveal his sin, do not judge him, do not hate him, lest you fall into the same sin; but rather say: “I am worse than he; today he has sinned, and tomorrow I shall sin.”

By judging others, you show that you know what evil is; therefore it is not others, but you yourself who must not do it.

He who slanders brother against brother is condemned with the devil; but he who suffers for his brother is an heir of Christ.

Do not laugh at or judge one who has fallen into temptation, but pray more often that you yourself may not fall into temptation. For he whose heart is darkened by the storm of thoughts and overcome by passions is not ashamed before men and does not fear God.

He who delights in speaking evil of others clearly shows that he himself is caught in the same thing for which he condemns others.

Repentance is the altar of God, for through it those who have sinned make peace with Him.

Repentance brings joy to God, for it also calls heaven to a feast.

Do not say: “Today I will sin, and tomorrow I will repent.” Rather, let us repent today, for we do not know whether we shall live to see tomorrow.

Repentance offers those who have sinned as a sacrifice, yet it also brings them back to life: it puts to death, and again raises from the dead.

He who remains in sin hoping for repentance has no repentance.

All who are born can attain repentance; therefore, he who cannot repent would be better not to have been born.

As much as we desire, so much does the good God forgive.

Let us daily ask the Lord for tears of contrition, so that when we weep for our sins, our soul may blossom, being freed from the dryness of sin.

If you wish God to grant you tears, contrition, and dispassion, constantly remember death and your grave.

The repentance of sinners is their crucifixion, which secretly pierces their members and restrains them, so that they may not act according to their passions.

Having committed a sin, do not hide it from God, lest God hide Himself from you in the time of need.