St. Basil the Great

The bread you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor. 1

We must neither doubt nor hesitate with respect to the words of the Lord; rather, we must be fully persuaded that every word of God is true and possible, even if our nature should rebel against the idea; for in this lies the test of faith. 2

As fire has to have continuous contact with an object to affect it, so an intermittent thought cannot bring about passion in a heart; a certain amount of time is necessary. 3

We should even go beyond doing what is required in order to avoid scandal. 4

Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence. 5

The bread which you use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit. 6

Silence is the beginning of purifying the soul. 7

Every creature, whether it speaks or is silent, whether in Heaven or on Earth, gives glory to its Maker. 8

Intimacy with the Lord is not a matter of physical kinship; rather, it is achieved by cheerful readiness to do the will of God. 9