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The mind does not cease from bringing forth thoughts; but you, pluck out the evil ones, and cultivate the good ones.

Clement. It is not abstention from actions that justifies the faithful one, but the purity and sincerity of thoughts.

Plutarch. The clouds often darken the sun; but the passions darken the reason.

981 From the foot the thorn, and from the irrational soul, one must remove ignorance.

Of Philemon. He who considers all things within himself by reason, removes evil, and receives good.

Of Isocrates. Whatever things seem best to you in your reasoning, accomplish these in your deeds. Just as one must banish a seditious man from a well-ordered city,

so from the soul the thought inclined toward evil. For by the passion of the body, the intellect of the soul is also brought to consent. Of Pythagoras. It is shameful, with the gifts of bees sweetening the

swallowing, to embitter the gift of God, reason, with evil. Of Theages. For not being able to endure toils, but for

pleasure to prevail, is proper to the irrational part of the soul; but the choice occurs in both of them, both in the part of the soul which has reason, and in the irrational.

DISCOURSE 60. Concerning foolishness, of the foolish and witless, and of the uninstructed and stupid. (15Ε_424> Matt. 7. Everyone who hears these words of mine, and does not do them,

will be like a foolish man. 1 Cor. 14. Do not be children in your minds, but in evil be infants; but in

your minds, be mature. The heart of a fool is pain to him who possesses it. Solom. 10. The lips of a fool will sink him. The beginning of the words of his mouth

is foolishness, and the end of his talk is wicked mischief. Prov. 16. A foolish man digs evil for himself; and on his own lips

he stores up fire. Prov. 18. He who lacks sense has no need of wisdom; for he is rather led

by foolishness. Sirach 22. Do not multiply words with a fool, and with one who lacks understanding do not

go. Sirach 22. Weep for the dead, for light has failed; and weep for a fool,

for understanding has failed. Sirach 22. Sand and salt and a lump of iron are easier to bear, than

a foolish man. Sirach 4. Do not submit yourself to a foolish man. Sirach 8. Do not take counsel with a fool. Sirach 22. He who teaches a fool is like one who glues together a potsherd. Consider the disorder of the mind a shame. (15Ε_426> Of Basil. Just as the sick are in need of medicine, so

the foolish are in want of wisdom. 984 Of the Theologian. It is shameful for a young man to be weaker than an old man, and for an old man to be more foolish than a young man.

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Οὐ παύεται λογισμούς ἡ διάνοια τίκτουσα· σύ δέ, τούς μέν φαύλους ἔκτιλλε, τούς δέ ἀγαθούς γεώργει.

Κλήμεντ. Οὐχ ἡ τῶν πράξεων ἀποχή δικαιοῖ τόν πιστόν, ἀλλ ἡ τῶν ἐννοιῶν ἁγνεία καί εἰλικρίνεια.

Πλουτάρχ. Ἐπισκοτεῖ τῷ μέν ἡλίῳ πολλάκις τά νέφη· τῷ δέ λογισμῶ, τά πάθη.

981 Ἐκ μέν τοῦ ποδός τήν ἄκανθαν, ἐκ δέ τῆς ἀλόγου ψυχῆς, τήν ἄγνοιαν ὑπεξελέσθαι δεῖ.

Φιλήμονος. Ὁ τῷ λογισμῷ πάντα παρ᾿ ἑαυτῷ σκοπῶν, τό κακόν ἀφαιρεῖ, τἀγαθόν δέ λαμβάνει.

Ἰσοκράτους. Ἅ ἄν σοι λογιζομένῳ βέλτιστα, ταῦτα τοῖς ἔργοις ἐπιτέλει. ∆εῖ ὥσπερ ἐξ εὐνομουμένης πόλεως φυγαδεύειν στασιαστήν ἄνθρωπον,

οὕτως ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς τόν πρός τά φαῦλα κεκλικότα λογισμόν. Τῷ γάρ πάθει τοῦ σώματος, καί τό νοερόν τῆς ψυχῆς συνομολογεῖν ἀνέχεται. Πυθαγόρου. Αἰσχρόν τοῖς τῶν μελιττῶν δωρήμασι γλυκάζοντα τήν

κατάποσιν, τό τοῦ Θεοῦ δῶρον πικράζειν τόν λόγον, τῇ κακίᾳ. Θεάγους. Τό γάρ ἀντέχειν μή δύνασθαι τοῖς πόνοις, ἐπικρατεῖν δέ τήν

ἡδονήν, οἰκεῖόν ἐστι τῷ ἀλόγῳ μέρει τᾶς ψυχᾶς· ἅ δέ προαίρεσις ἐν ἀμφοτέροις αὐτοῖς γίνεται, καί τῷ λόγον ἔχοντι μέρει τᾶς ψυχᾶς, καί τῷ ἀλόγῳ.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Ξ´. Περί ἀφροσύνης, ἄφρονος καί ἀνοήτου, καί ἀπαιδεύτου καί μωροῦ. (15Ε_424> Ματθ. ζ´. Πᾶς ὁ ἀκούων μου τούς λόγους, καί μή ποιῶν αὐτούς,

ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρί μωρῷ. Α´ Κορ. ιδ´. Μή παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσίν, ἀλλά τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε· ταῖς δέ

φεσί, τέλειοι γίνεσθε. Καρδία ἄφρονος, ὀδύνη τῷ κτησαμένῳ αὐτήν. Σολομ. ι´. Χείλη ἄφρονος καταποντιοῦσιν αὐτόν. Ἀρχή λόγων στόματος

αὐτοῦ, ἀφροσύνη, καί ἐσχάτη στόματος αὐτοῦ περιφέρεια πονηρά. Παροιμ. ιστ´. Ἀνήρ ἄφρων ὀρύσσει ἑαυτῷ κακά· ἐπί δέ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ χειλέων

θησαυρίζει πῦρ. Παροιμ. ιη΄. Οὐ χρείαν ἔχει σοφίας ἐνδεής φρενῶν· μᾶλλον γάρ ἄγεται

ἀφροσύνῃ. Σιράχ κβ´. Μετά ἄφρονος μή πληθύνῃς λόγους, καί πρός ἀσύνετον μή

πορεύου. Σιράχ κβ´. Ἐπί νεκρῷ κλαῦσον, ἐξέλιπε γάρ φῶς· καί ἐπί μωρῷ κλαῦσον,

ἐξέλιπε γάρ σύνεσις. Σιράχ κβ´. Ἄμμον καί ἅλας καί βῶλον σιδηροῦν, ἀκοπώτερον ὑπενεγκεῖν, ἤ

ἄνθρωπον ἄφρονα. Σιράχ δ´. Μή ὑποστρώσῃς ἀνθρώπῳ μωρῷ σεαυτόν. Σιράχ η´. Μετά μωροῦ μή συμβουλεύου. Σιράχ κβ´. Συγκολλῶν ὄστρακον, ὁ διδάσκων μωρόν. Αἶσχος νόμιζε τήν φρενῶν ἀκοσμίαν. (15Ε_426> Βασιλείου. Ὥσπερ οἱ ἀσθενοῦντες χρῄζουσιν ἰατρικῆς, οὕτω

σοφίας ἄφρονες ἐπιδέονται. 984 Θεολόγου. Αἰσχρόν νέον γέροντος ἀσθενέστερον Εἶναι, γέροντα δ᾿ ἀφρονέστερον νέου.