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For it is not possible for a man who is meddlesome in the lives of others, ever to take care of his own life. For since all his diligence is spent on meddling in the affairs of others, it is necessary that his own affairs lie simply and neglected.

Philo. The wise man pursues tranquility and freedom from worldly affairs, so that he may attain to divine contemplations in stillness.

A wise man is a sojourner and an emigrant from the confused life, towards the life fitting for the peaceful and blessed.

Evagrius. It is better to live lying on a pallet of straw and be of good courage, than to be troubled having a golden bed.

Through four things the soul becomes desolate: not keeping stillness, and through loving distraction, and longing for material things, and being miserly.

Nilus. A quiet life is more illustrious than much money.

Stillness is laborious for those who have recently renounced the world. For then memory, finding an opportunity, stirs up all the inherent impurity, not having leisure previously to do this because of the multitude of distracting affairs.

Cyril. In a mind that is disturbed and has anxiety, neither any thought of good things nor the grace of God can arise.

Athanasius. It is better to be silent and believe when in doubt, than to disbelieve because of doubt.

Socrates. When asked, "Who live untroubled?" he said, "Those who are conscious of nothing amiss in themselves."

Moschion. Freed from annoyance, a man considers the loss a gain.

Aristippus. When someone said to him, "The field is lost because of you;" he said, "Therefore, it is better for the field to be lost because of me, than for me to be lost because of the field."

Demosthenes. When someone said to him, "You neglect the field, but have leisure for yourself;" he said, "For I take care of that for which I also acquired the field."

(853) Serinus. When the maidservant saw Thales looking at the sky and falling into a pit, she said he suffered justly, since while ignorant of the things at his feet, he was observing the things in heaven.

Aristotle. Aristotle said that those who try to demonstrate plain facts, do something similar to those who ambitiously try to show the sun with a lamp.

Euclides. Euclides the philosopher, when asked by someone, "What sort of beings are the gods, and in what do they rejoice?" said, "About other things I do not know; however, that they hate meddlers, I know for certain."

Demonax. Every inquisitive person who meddles in others' affairs is sick while being healthy.

When others were examining whether the world is ensouled, and again whether it is spherical, he said, "You are meddling with the cosmos; but you do not care about your own lack of order."

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Οὐ γάρ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπον τούς ἀλλοτρίους πολυπραγμονοῦντα βίους, τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιμεληθῆναί ποτε ζωῆς. Τῆς γάρ σπουδῆς αὐτῷ πάσης εἰς τήν τῶν ἑτέρων πολυπραγμοσύνην ἀναλισκομένης, ἀνάγκη τά αὐτοῦ ἁπλῶς κεῖσθαι καί ἠμελημένως.

Φίλωνος. Ὁ σοφός ἠρεμίαν καί ἀπραγμοσύνην διώκει, ἵνα τοῖς θείοις θεωρήμασιν ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ ἐπιτύχῃ.

Σοφός μέτοικος καί μετανάστης ἐστίν ἐκ τοῦ πεφυρμένου βίου, πρός τήν εἰρηναίοις πρέπουσαν καί μακαρίαν ζωήν.

Εὐαγρίου. Ζᾷν ἄμεινον ἐπί στιβάδος κατακείμενον καί θαῤῥεῖν, ἤ ταράσσεσθαι χρυσῆν ἔχοντα κλίνην.

∆ιά τεσσάρων πραγμάτων ἡ ψυχή ἔρημος γίνεται, τοῦ μή ἡσυχάσαι, καί διά τοῦ ἀγαπᾷν τόν περισπασμόν, καί τοῦ ἐπιποθεῖν τήν ὕλην, καί τοῦ κνιπεύσθαι.

Νείλου. Βίος ἡσύχιος, χρημάτων πολλῶν περιφανέστερος.

Ἐπίπονος τοῖς νεωστί ἀποτασσομένοις ἡ ἡσυχία. Τότε γάρ καιρόν λαβοῦσα ἡ μνήμη, πᾶσαν ἀνακινεῖ τήν ἐγκειμένην ἀκαθαρσίαν, οὐ σχολάζουσα πρότερον τοῦτο ποιεῖν διά τό πλῆθος τῶν περισπώντων πραγμάτων.

Κυρίλλου. Ἐν θορυβουμένῳ καί ἀγωνίαν ἔχοντι νῷ, οὔτε ἔννοιά τις τῶν καλῶν, οὔτε Θεοῦ χάρις ἐγγίνεται.

Ἀθανασ. Βέλτιον ἀποροῦντας σιωπᾷν καί πιστεύειν, ἤ ἀπιστεῖν διά τό ἀπορεῖν.

Σωκράτης. Ἐρωτηθείς, Τίνες ἀταράχως ζῶσιν; Οἱ μηδέν ἑαυτοῖς, εἶπεν, ἄτοπον συνειδότες.

Μοσχίωνος. Ἀπαλλαγείς ἕνεκα ὀχλήσεως, κέρδος ἡγεῖται ὁ ἄνθρωπος τήν ζημίαν.

Ἀριστίππ. Λέγοντος αὐτῷ τινος, ∆ιά σέ ἀπόλωλεν ὁ ἀγρός· Οὐκοῦν, ἔφη, κάλλιον δι᾿ ἐμέ τόν ἀγρόν, ἤ διά τόν ἀγρόν ἐμέ.

∆ημοσθ. Λέγοντος αὐτῷ τινος, ὅτι Τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἀμελεῖς, ἑαυτῷ δέ σχολάζεις· Τούτου γάρ, ἔφη, ἐπιμελοῦμαι, δι᾿ ὅν καί τόν ἀγρόν ἐκτησάμην.

(853) Σερίνου. Θαλῆν εἰς τόν οὐρανόν ὁρῶντα, καί ἐμπεσόντα εἰς βάραθρον ἡ θεράπαινα θεωροῦσα, δικαίως παθεῖν ἔφη, Ὡς γάρ τά παρά ποσίν ἀγνοῶν, τά ἐν οὐρανῷ ἐσκόπει.

Ἀριστοτ.Ἀριστοτέλης τούς τά ἐναργῆ πράγματα πειρωμένους δεικνύναι, ὅμοιον ἔφη ποιεῖν τοῖς λύχνῳ τόν ἥλιον φιλοτιμουμένοις δεικνύναι.

Εὐκλείδης. Εὐκλείδης ὁ φιλόσοφος, ἐρωτηθείς ὑπό τινος, Ὁποῖοί τινές εἰσιν οἱ Θεοί, καί τίνι χαίρουσι; Τά μέν ἄλλα οὐκ οἶδα, εἶπεν· τούς μέντοι φιλοπράγμονας ὅτι μισοῦσιν, ἀσφαλῶς οἶδα.

∆ημόνακτ. Ὑγιαίνων νοσεῖ πᾶς περίεργος, ὁ τά ἀλλότρια πολυπραγμονῶν.

Ἄλλων ἐξεταζόντων εἰ ὁ κόσμος ἔμψυχος, καί αὖθις εἰ σφραιροειδής, Ὑμεῖς, εἶπεν, περί μέν τοῦ κόσμου πολυπραγμονεῖτε· περί δέ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀκοσμίας οὐ φροντίζετε.