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Repentance lifts a man up. Mourning knocks at heaven's gate. Holy humility opens it.

John Climacus

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John Climacus
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Saint John Climacus
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More quotes by John Climacus

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Often the Lord heals vainglory by dishonor.
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A servant of the Lord stands bodily before men, but mentally he is knocking at the gates of heaven with prayer.
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Ascend, my brothers, ascend eagerly. Let your hearts' resolve be to climb. Listen to the voice of the one who says: 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of our God' (Isa. 2:3), Who makes our feet to be like the feet of the deer, 'Who sets us on the high places, that we may be triumphant on His road' (Hab. 3:19).
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Obedience is the burial of the will and the resurrection of humility.
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I would not consider my spirituality worthwhile that wants to walk in sweetness and ease and run from the imitation of Christ.
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It can happen that when we are at prayer some brothers come to see us. Then we have to choose either to interrupt our prayer or to sadden our brother by refusing to answer him. But love is greater than prayer. Prayer is one virtue among others, whereas love contains them all.
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Pride is the utter poverty of soul disguised as riches, imaginary light where in fact there is darkness.
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A proud monk needs no demon. He has turned into one, an enemy to himself.
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An angel fell from Heaven without any other passion except pride, and so we may ask whether it is possible to ascend to Heaven by humility alone, without any other of the virtues.
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Confession is like a bridle that keeps the soul which reflects on it from committing sin, but anything left unconfessed we continue to do without fear as if in the dark.
John Climacus
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Forgetting offences is a sign of sincere repentance. If you keep the memory of them, you may believe you have repented but you are like someone running in his sleep. Let no one consider it a minor defect, this darkness that often clouds the eyes even of spiritual people.
John Climacus
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The man who pets a lion may tame it, but the man who coddles the body makes it ravenous.
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Simplicity is an enduring habit within a soul that has grown impervious to evil thoughts.
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Become aware of God, in whose presence you are while you pray . . . Then take a formula of prayer and recite it with perfect attention both to the words you are saying and to the Person to whom you are saying them.
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When you are depressed, bear in mind the Lord's command to Peter to forgive a sinner seventy times seven (cf. Mt. 18:22). And you may be sure that He Who gave this command to another will Himself do very much more.
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When you hear that your neighbor or friend has reproached you in your absence or presence, then show love and praise him.
John Climacus
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The lover of silence draws close to God. He talks to Him in secret and God enlightens him.
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The friend of silence comes close to God. In secret he converses with him and receives his light.
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Someone who is elated with wine speaks the truth on all subjects, even without meaning to. In the same way, anyone who is inebriated with the spirit of penitence will never be able to tell lies.
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The friend of silence comes close to God.
John Climacus