John Climacus' The Ladder of Divine Ascent
"Withdrawal from the world is a willing hatred of all that is materially prized, a denial of nature for the sake of what is above nature. All this is done by those who willingly turn from the things of this life, either for the sake of the coming kingdom, or because of the number of their sins, or on account of their love of God. Without such objectives the denial of the world would make no sense." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 74)
"Nothing equals the mercy of God or surpasses it. To despair is therefore to inflict death on oneself." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 130)
"A man who has heard himself sentenced to death will not worry about the way theaters are run. Similarly, a man who is truly in mourning will never go back to high living, glory, anger, or irritability." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 144)
"Only when we are completely free of the urge to lie may we resort to it, and then only in fear and out of necessity. A baby does not know how to lie, and neither does a soul cleansed of evil" (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 161)
"If you find yourself getting sleepy, turn to manual work, but keep away from that if you happen not to be sleepy, for you cannot serve both God and Mammon. That is to say, you cannot turn your attention at the same time to God and to the work of you hands." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 168)
"What is this mystery in me? What is the principle of this mixture of body and soul? How can I be my own friend and my own enemy? Speak to me! Speak to me, my yoke-fellow, my nature! I cannot ask anyone else about you. How can I remain uninjured by you? How can I escape the danger of my own nature? I have made a promise to Christ that I will fight you, yet how can I defeat your tyranny? But this I have resolved, namely, that I am going to master you." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 186)
"Pride is a denial of God, an invention of the devil, contempt for men. It is the mother of condemnation, the offspring of praise, a sign of barrenness. It is a flight from God's help, the harbinger of madness, the author of downfall. It is the cause of diabolical possession, the source of anger, the gateway of hypocrisy. It is the fortress of demons, the custodian of sins, the source of hardheartedness. It is the denial of compassion, a bitter pharisee, a cruel judge." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 207)
"Prayer is by nature a dialog and a union of man with God. Its effect is to hold the world together." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 274)
"Nothing equals the mercy of God or surpasses it. To despair is therefore to inflict death on oneself." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 130)
"A man who has heard himself sentenced to death will not worry about the way theaters are run. Similarly, a man who is truly in mourning will never go back to high living, glory, anger, or irritability." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 144)
"Only when we are completely free of the urge to lie may we resort to it, and then only in fear and out of necessity. A baby does not know how to lie, and neither does a soul cleansed of evil" (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 161)
"If you find yourself getting sleepy, turn to manual work, but keep away from that if you happen not to be sleepy, for you cannot serve both God and Mammon. That is to say, you cannot turn your attention at the same time to God and to the work of you hands." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 168)
"What is this mystery in me? What is the principle of this mixture of body and soul? How can I be my own friend and my own enemy? Speak to me! Speak to me, my yoke-fellow, my nature! I cannot ask anyone else about you. How can I remain uninjured by you? How can I escape the danger of my own nature? I have made a promise to Christ that I will fight you, yet how can I defeat your tyranny? But this I have resolved, namely, that I am going to master you." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 186)
"Pride is a denial of God, an invention of the devil, contempt for men. It is the mother of condemnation, the offspring of praise, a sign of barrenness. It is a flight from God's help, the harbinger of madness, the author of downfall. It is the cause of diabolical possession, the source of anger, the gateway of hypocrisy. It is the fortress of demons, the custodian of sins, the source of hardheartedness. It is the denial of compassion, a bitter pharisee, a cruel judge." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 207)
"Prayer is by nature a dialog and a union of man with God. Its effect is to hold the world together." (Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent p. 274)
