This purity is attained through conquering the passions.

If you want to conquer pride, do not say that your deed was done by your hands and might; say that with God's help and guidance it was done, not by my power and efforts.

If you want to conquer anger, develop meekness and generosity.

If you want to conquer conceit, do not desire praise, laurels, nice garments, respect, favor, but like to be blamed and slandered by people.

Listen to others' advice and deliberate yourself. Only fools acts thoughtlessly, without consideration!

The acme of freedom from wealth is to desire to be possessionless even as others desire to possess.

The acme of faith is... immersion of the mind in God.

From Spiritual Directions of Diadochus of Photiki

Love enters only one gates - the spiritual heart opened towards! And then the reciprocal wave of love arises in it, streaming outside. In that way love lives and grows.

Love takes nothing: how can it take something? Everything belongs to it. It does not say, "This is mine! And this is mine!" But it says: "This is yours!"

The acme of love is to enhance your friendly attitude to those who insult and revile you.

My soul remembered him, my heart connected with him but time had separated him from wanting me right now.

Get busy achieving all the things in life you want to achieve, because one day you'll be fine and the next ....

From age eleven to age sixteen I lived a spartan life without the usual adolescent uncertainty. I wanted to be the best swimmer in the world, and there was nothing else.

When lending people money, be sure their character exceeds their collateral.

I am struck by the fact that the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think that the same is true of human beings.

I love women and I love the women I have been with. I always try to be kind and cautious and treat people nice.

Living in South Korea as a girl meant living under a lot of discrimination and limitation. It was the same in my university and in the Korean literary world I am involved in.

Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree, What the glory of thy boughs shall be?

Great men are just ordinary men that didn't quit.

This is the sum of duty: do naught to others which if done to thee, would cause thee pain.