Sunday, September 23, 2012

Quote of the Week - St Philotheos of Sinai


“Nothing is more unsettling than talkativeness and more pernicious than an unbridled tongue, disruptive as it is of the soul’s proper state. For the soul’s chatter destroys what we build each day and scatters what we have laboriously gathered together.” -- St. Philotheos of Sinai

2 comments:

George Patsourakos said...

People sometimes need to keep their thoughts to themselves -- especially if they run contrary to the thoughts of the person with whom they are speaking -- in order to avoid friction or anger with that person.

Moreover, if a person is not certain of whether or not his or her comments may provoke anger by another person, then silence is essential to avoid an argument.

Speaking with another person, then, should focus on the positive -- not the negative -- and if possible, be complimentary of the person with whom one is conversing.

Alice C. Linsley said...

I agree. This would be a better world if we made this our practice!