Evagrius Quotes & Sayings

Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask Him; for He desires to do something even greater for you, while you cling to Him in prayer. — Evagrius Ponticus

It doesn't matter how old I get, but as long as I continue to live I'll always discover something new about myself. — Haruki Murakami

Happy is the spirit that attains to the perfect formlessness at the time of prayer. — Evagrius Ponticus

Proud to steal her anything she sees, but you will wind up peeking through her key hole down upon your knees. — Bob Dylan

Provide yourself with such work for your hands as can be done, if possible, both during the day and at night, so that you are not a burden to anyone, and indeed can give to others, as St. Paul the Apostle advises (cf. I Thess. 2:9; Eph. 4:28). In this manner you will overcome the demon of listlessness and drive away all the desires suggested by the enemy; for the demon of listlessness takes advantage of idleness. 'Every idle man is full of desires' (Prov. 13:4 LXX). — Evagrius Ponticus

Sometimes we called one another by our future doctor names. We did it partly to be funny, but mostly because we liked it when people did it back to us. — David Z. Hirsch

Collaboration is an inside-out mindset. It has to start on the inside, with the Heart. — Jane Ripley

We should not worry about clothes or food? Such anxiety is a mark of? unbelievers, who reject the providence of the Lord and deny the Creator. An attitude of this kind is entirely wrong for Christians who believe that even? sparrows? are under the care of the holy angels (cf. Mt. 10:29). The demons, however? suggest worries of this kind? The divine word can bear no fruit, being choked out by our cares. Let us, then, renounce these cares, and throw them down before the Lord, being content with what we have at the moment? — Evagrius Ponticus

If you patiently accept what comes, you will always pray with joy. — Evagrius Ponticus

Too many people hate the people that AIDS most affects: gay people and people of color. I do not mean dislike, or feel uncomfortable with. I mean hate. Downright hate. Down and dirty hate. — Larry Kramer

Anger, [Evagrius] wrote, is given to us by God to help us confront true evil. We err when we use it casually, against other people, to gratify our own desires for power or control. — Kathleen Norris

A man who worships in Spirit and Truth no longer honors the Creator because of His works, but praises Him because of Himself. — Evagrius Ponticus

If your spirit still looks around at the time of prayer, then it does not yet pray as a monk. You are no better than a man of affairs engaged in a kind of landscape gardening. — Evagrius Ponticus

He who has mastery over his incensive power has mastery also over the demons. But anyone who is a slave to it is a stranger to the ways of the Saviour, for as the Saviour enjoined us: 'Learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart: and you will find rest for your souls' (Mt. 11:29). Now if a man abstains from food and drink, but becomes incensed to wrath because of evil thoughts, he is like a ship sailing the open sea with a demon for a pilot. — Evagrius Ponticus

The Holy Spirit, out of compassion for our weakness, comes to us even when we are impure. And if He finds our intellect truly praying to Him, He enters it and puts to flight the whole array of thoughts and ideas circling within it, and He arouses it to a longing for spiritual prayer. — Evagrius Ponticus

Blessed is the one who has arrived at infinite ignorance. — Evagrius Ponticus

Prayer is the laying aside of thoughts. — Evagrius Ponticus

A monk is a man who considers himself one with all men because he seems constantly to see himself in every man. — Evagrius Ponticus

The further the soul advances, the greater are the adversaries against which it must contend. — Evagrius Ponticus

That meek darkness be thy mirror, and thy whole remembrance. — Dionysius Of Halicarnassus

We always reference kids but very rarely ask their opinion. Our inexperience might be what gives us the ability to teach our elders something, due to the fact that we are not jaded or cynical. — Adora Svitak

The Abba Evagrius (who died in 399) taught: There are eight principal thoughts, from which all other thoughts stem. The first thought is of gluttony; the second, of fornication; the third, of love of money; the fourth, of discontent; the fifth, of anger; the sixth, of despondency; the seventh, of vainglory; the eighth, of pride. Whether these thoughts disturb the soul or not does not depend on us; but whether they linger in us or not and set passions in motion or not - does depend on us. — Dallas Willard

I believe I am more conservative than Bob Dole; I believe I am more committed to fundamentally changing American government than Bob Dole. — Phil Gramm

Remember how the Lord rebukes Martha when He says: 'You are anxious and troubled about many things: one thing alone is needful' (Lk. 10:41-42) ? to hear the divine word; after that, one should be content with anything that comes to hand. — Evagrius Ponticus

God cannot be grasped by the mind. If he could be grasped, he would not be God. — Evagrius Ponticus

Talent without working hard is nothing. — Cristiano Ronaldo

Evagrius said, 'A wandering mind is strengthened by reading, and prayer. Passion is dampened down by hunger and work and solitude. Anger is repressed by psalmody and long-suffering and mercy. But all these should be at the proper times and in due measure. — Benedicta Ward

Evagrius said, 'Cut the desire for many things out of your heart and so prevent your mind being dispersed and your stillness lost. — Benedicta Ward

To dwell in the place of God, as Evagrius puts it, is to live with a particular intense awareness of this reality, to know oneself not as a solitary, autonomous being but as one whose identity can only be conceived of as existing within an intricate web of encompassing relationships. The primary work of contemplative practice is to become more aware of this web of relationships, to learn to live within it fully and responsibly and to give expression to it in one's life. — Douglas E. Christie

Prayer is the fruit of joy and thankfulness. — Evagrius Ponticus