Unless a man is assisted by inner work according to the will of God, he labours in vain at what is external.
True self-knowledge – to see our own defects above all else – is the only way forward
True self-knowledge is to see one’s own defects and weaknesses so clearly that they fill our whole view. And mark this — the more you see yourself at fault and deserving of every censure, the more you will advance.
Do everything seeking the mercy of God and you will find reassurance – Archimandrite Vasileios
When you build in order to build, you are enlarging your tomb. When you write in order to write, you are weaving your shroud. But when you live and breathe seeking always the mercy of God, then an incorruptible garment is woven around you, and you find the sweetness of a heavenly reassurance welling up within you.