Isaac the Syrian Quotes

True is the word of the Lord which declares

Be peaceful within yourself,

What is conversation with God?

Let us beware in ourselves, my beloved,

By stillness of the body and ceasing from this world,

For every event, natural being and utterance in this creation there is a Sanctuary and a Holy of Holies.

To the extent to which a person is distanced from the settled world,

In the measure that love for the flesh prevails in you,

Prayer, however, is lower in rank than being stirred in spirit: on this there is no dispute, for prayer is inferior to this mystery.

Let the following prayer not cease from your heart night or day:

When a sailor voyages in the midst of the sea, he watches the stars,

Wherever you are, be a solitary in your way of thinking—alone and a stranger in heart, not involved <with the world>.

Once a person has, through divine assistance, become recollected from external concerns,

Again, there is the person who has reached perfection on the level of the soul,

The man who follows Christ in solitary mourning is greater than he who praises Christ amid the congregations of men.