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Proverbs 21. Every man seems to himself righteous; but the Lord directs hearts.

Proverbs 27. Let your neighbor praise you, and not your own mouth; another, and not your own lips.

Basil. For it is a reproach for a man, at least for one who is truly worthy of this name, to be a beautifier and a lover of his body, or to be ignobly disposed toward any other of the passions. For to put forth all one's effort, so that his body might be in the most beautiful condition, is characteristic of one who does not discern himself, nor understand the wise command.

Chrysostom. No one is a friend, no one a brother. Each one of us looks to his own interests. For this reason we also diminish our own interests, and are weak and easily overcome both by men and by the devil, from not shielding one another. For indeed in war and (15E_476> battle, the soldier who looks only to this, how he might save himself by fleeing, also destroys the others with himself; just as, therefore, the noble one, taking up arms for the others, saves himself along with the others.

He who does not accept the care offered to him by his brother, is also discordant with himself.

The Theologian. All are pious in one respect: in condemning the impiety of one another; mild judges of their own affairs, but strict examiners of others'.

Let us be in harmony with one another spiritually; let us become lovers of our brothers rather than lovers of ourselves. Philo. Those who do all things for their own sake only, self-love, the greatest evil

practice. Critias. It is a terrible thing when someone who is not wise seems to be wise. We are good at seeing evil in others; But when we ourselves do it, we do not know it. 1013 No one sees the evil in himself, Pamphilus, but when another acts disgracefully, he will see it wisely. Diogenes. Diogenes, when asked, What is most difficult? "To know oneself," he said.

For by self-love each person adds many things to himself. The same man said of some people that, while saying what is fitting, of themselves they do not

listen; just as lyres, though sounding beautifully, are not sentient. Plato. To be deceived by oneself is the most difficult thing of all. For when

the deceiver is not a little [long] way off, but is always present, how is it not terrible? DISCOURSE 70. Concerning the fact that vice is easy, and virtue hard to obtain. (15E_478> Matthew 7. Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and

broad is the way that leads to destruction. Hebrews 12. All discipline, for the present, seems to be not of joy, but of sorrow;

but later, it yields the peaceful fruit to those who have been trained by it. Proverbs 16. There is a way which seems right to men, but its last parts

lead to the bottom of Hades. Basil. What among good things is easy? Who has set up a trophy while sleeping? Who

while living luxuriously and being entertained by the flute, has been adorned with the crowns of endurance? No one who has not run has taken the prize. Labors beget glory; and toils procure crowns.

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Παροιμ. κα´. Πᾶς ἀνήρ φαίνεται ἑαυτῷ δίκαιος· κατευθύνει δέ καρδίας Κύριος.

Παροιμ. κζ´. Ἐγκωμιαζέτω σε ὁ πέλας, καί μή τό σόν στόμα· ἀλλότρια, καί μή τά σά χείλη.

Βασιλ. Ὄνειδος γάρ ἀνδρί, τῷ γε ὡς ἀληθῶς τῆς προσηγορίας ταύτης ἀξίῳ, καλλωπιστήν καί φιλοσώματον εἶναι, ἤ πρός ἄλλο τι τῶν παθῶν ἀγεννῶς διακεῖσθαι. Τό γάρ τήν πᾶσαν σπουδήν εἰσφέρεσθαι, ὅπως ὡς κάλλιστα αὐτοῦ τό σῶμα ἕξοι,οὐ διαγινώσκοντος ἑαυτόν ἐστιν, οὐδέ συνιέντος τοῦ σοφοῦ παραγγέλματος.

Χρυσοστ. Οὐδείς φίλος, οὐδείς ἀδελφός. Τά ἑαυτῶν σκοποῦμεν ἕκαστος. ∆ιά τοῦτο καί τά ἑαυτῶν κολοβοῦμεν, καί ἀσθενεῖς καί εὐκαταγώνιστοι καί ἀνθρώποις καί διαβόλῳ ἐσμέν, ἐκ τοῦ μή συνασπίζειν ἀλλήλους. Καί γάρ ἐν πολέμῳ καί (15Ε_476> παρατάξει, ὁ πρός τοῦτο μόνον ὁρῶν στρατιώτης, ὅπως ἑαυτόν διασώσῃ φυγών, καί τούς ἄλλους μεθ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ συναπόλλυσιν· ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ γενναῖος, καί ὑπέρ τῶν ἄλλων τά ὅπλα τιθέμενος, μετά τῶν ἄλλων καί ἑαυτόν διασώζει.

Ὁ μή καταδεχόμενος τήν παρά τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ θεραπείαν προσαγομένην αὐτῷ, ἀσύμφωνός ἐστι καί αὐτός ἑαυτῷ.

Θεολόγου. Πάντες μέν εὐσεβεῖς ἐξ ἑνός τοῦ καταγινώσκειν ἀλλήλων ἀσέβειαν· τῶν μέν ἰδίων πρᾶοι κριταί, τῶν δέ ἀλλοτρίων ἀκριβεῖς ἐξετασταί.

Συνῶμεν ἀλλήλοις πνευματικῶς· γενώμεθα φιλάδελφοι μᾶλλον ἤ φίλαυτοι. Φίλων. Οἱ ἑαυτῶν μόνον ἕνεκα πάντα πράττοντες, φιλαυτίας μέγιστον κακόν

ἐπιτηδεύουσιν. Κριτίου. ∆εινόν δ᾿ ὅταν τις μή φρονῶν δοκῆ φρονεῖν. Ἀγαθοί δέ τό κακόν ἐσμεν ἐφ᾿ ἑτέρων ἰδεῖν· Αὐτοί δ᾿ ὅταν ποιῶμεν, οὐ γινώσκομεν. 1013 Οὐδείς ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ τό κακόν συνορᾷ, Πάμφιλε, Ἑτέρου δ᾿ ἀσχημονοῦντος, σοφῶς ὄψεται. ∆ιογένης. ∆ιογένης ἐρωτηθείς, Τί χαλεπώτατον; Τό γινώσκειν ἑαυτόν, ἔφη.

Πολλά γάρ ὑπό φιλαυτίας ἕκαστον ἑαυτῷ προστιθέναι. Ὁ αὐτός, τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐνίους ἔφη τά δέοντα λέγοντας, ἑαυτῶν οὐκ

ἀκούειν· ὥσπερ καί τάς λύρας καλόν φθεγγομένας οὐκ αἰσθάνεσθαι. Πλάτων. Τό ἐξαπατᾶσθαι αὐτόν ὑφ᾿ αὑτοῦ πάντων χαλεπώτατον. Ὅταν γάρ

μή μικρόν [μακρόν] ἀποσταθῇ, ἀλλ᾿ ἀεί παρῇ ὁ ἐξαπατήσων, πῶς οὐ δεινόν; ΛΟΓΟΣ Ο´. Περί τοῦ, ὅτι εὔκολος ἡ κακία, καί δυσπόριστος ἀρετή. (15Ε_478> Ματθ. ζ´. Εἰσέλθετε διά τῆς στενῆς πύλης, ὅτι πλατεῖα ἡ πύλη, καί

εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδός ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τήν ἀπώλειαν. Ἑβρ. ιβ´. Πᾶσα παιδεία, πρός μέν τό παρόν οὐ δοκεῖ χαρᾶς εἶναι, ἀλλά λύπης·

ὕστερον δέ, καρπόν εἰρηνικόν τοῖς δι᾿ αὐτῆς ἐγγεγυμνασμένοις ἀποδίδωσιν. Παροιμ. ιστ´. Ἔστιν ὁδός, ἤ δοκεῖ παρά ἀνθρώποις ὀρθή εἶναι, τά δέ τελευταῖα

αὐτῆς ἔρχεται εἰς πυθμένα ᾅδου. Βασιλείου. Τί τῶν ἀγαθῶν εὔκολον; Τίς καθεύδων τρόπαιον ἔστησεν; Τίς

τρυφων καί καταυλούμενος, τοῖς τῆς καρτερίας στεφάνοις κατεκοσμήθη; Οὐδείς μή δραμῶν ἀνείλετο βραβεῖον. Πόνοι γεννῶσι δόξαν· κάματοι δέ προξενοῦσι στεφάνους.