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prepared in thought, like some reef neighboring the sea, safely and unshakably to endure the assaults of both the violent winds and the waves.

Theol. Long-suffering is better than speed, and condescension better than arrogance.

It is a good thing to conquer audacity with kindness, and to make better those who do wrong, whom we patiently endure when we suffer.

Those who are attached to the world also suffer, and much more than those who serve God; but for them, suffering is their wages; for us, however, even suffering is rewarded, when we endure for God's sake.

Let us not become evil servants, confessing to the Master when He does good, but when chastised, not paying heed; and yet at times pain is better than health, and patience than ease, and visitation than neglect.

Chrysost. Nothing so makes people worthy of respect, as for those who are insulted to bear it.

Just as the long-suffering of God is beneficial to those who repent, so to the unyielding and hard-hearted it becomes an occasion for greater punishments.

When someone treats you despitefully, do not look at him, but at the demon who moves him; and empty all your anger against that one; and pity the one who is moved by that one.

For nothing so makes people illustrious and enviable, and fills them with myriad goods, as a multitude of trials, and dangers and toils and discouragements; and to be constantly plotted against, even by those from whom one by no means should expect it, and to bear all things meekly.

For whatever we suffer unjustly from anyone, God reckons that injustice for us either for the remission of sins, or for the bestowal of a reward.

Of Nilus. To be neglectful, and to be unwilling to endure misfortunes, is characteristic of great and varied foolishness.

Of Glycon. Knowledge of God is made known in a man through long-suffering and meekness.

Greg. Nyss. The succession of being reviled and returning insult is stopped from its forward momentum by long-suffering; since if someone should repay insult with insult and reviling with reviling, he will surely increase it, nourishing the absurdity with more of the same.

(924) The faithful and indubitable nature of the hoped-for grace becomes an enjoyment for those who wait for it through patience.

Democrit. If it were possible to learn what one must suffer, and not suffer it, it would be good to learn; but if one must suffer, what need is there to learn? For one must suffer.

Solon. Solon, when someone spat on him, bore it. And when another person blamed him for this, he said, "Then do the fishermen endure being sprinkled by the sea, in order that they might catch a gudgeon; and shall I not endure suffering the same thing in order to fish for a man?"

Of Metrodorus. Do not seek for things that happen to happen as you wish, but wish for the things that happen to happen as they do.

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προευτρεπισμένον τῇ διανοίᾳ, ὥσπερ τινά σκόπελον θαλάσσης γείτονα, ἀσφαλῶς καί ἀσείστως τῶν τε βιαίων πνευμάτων καί τῶν κυμάτων τάς προσβολάς ὑπομένειν.

Θεολ. Βέλτιον τοῦ τάχους ἡ μακροθυμία, καί τῆς αὐθαδείας ἡ συγκατάβασις.

Ἀγαθόν χρηστότητι νικᾷν θρασύτητα, καί βελτίους ποιεῖν τούς ἀδικοῦντας, οἷς καρτεροῦμεν πάσχοντες.

Ἀλγοῦσιν καί οἱ τῷ κόσμῳ προστετηκότες, καί πολλῷ πλέον τῷ Θεῷ δουλευόντων· ἀλλά μισθός αὐτοῖς τό ἀλγεῖν· ἡμῖν δέ καί τό πάσχειν ἔμμισθον, ὅταν διά τόν Θεόν καρτερῶμεν.

Μή γενώμεθα δοῦλοι κακοί, ἀγαθύνοντι μέν ἐξομολογούμενοι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ· παιδευόμενοι δέ, μή προστιθέμενοι· καίτοι ποτέ κρεῖσσον ὑγείας πόνος, καί ὑπομονή ἀνέσεως, καί ἐπίσκεψις ἀμελείας.

Χρυσοστ. Οὐδέν οὕτως αἰδεσίμους ποιεῖ, ὡς τούς ὑβριζομένους φέρειν.

Καθάπερ τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία ὠφέλιμος, οὕτως τοῖς ἀνενδότοις καί σκληροῖς μειζόνων γίνεται κολάσεων πρόφασις.

Ὅταν τις ἐπηρεάζῃ, μή πρός αὐτόν ἴδῃς, ἀλλά πρός τόν κινοῦντα δαίμονα· καί τήν ὀργήν ἅπασαν κατ᾿ ἐκείνου κένωσον· αὐτόν δέ καί ἐλέει τόν ὑπ᾿ ἐκείνου κινούμενον.

Οὐδέν γάρ οὕτω λαμπρούς ποιεῖ καί ζηλωτούς, καί μυρίων ἐμπίπλησι ἀγαθῶν, ὡς πειρασμῶν πλῆθος, καί κίνδυνοι καί πόνοι καί ἀθυμίαι· καί τό διηνεκῶς ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι, καί παρ᾿ ὧν οὐδαμῶς ἐχρῆν, καί πάντα πράως φέρειν.

Ὅπερ γάρ ἄν πάθωμεν ἀδίκως παρ᾿ ὁτοοῦν, ἤ εἰς ἁμαρτημάτων διάλυσιν ὁ Θεός ἡμῖν λογίζεται τήν ἀδικίαν ἐκείνην, ἤ εἰς μισθοῦ ἀντίδοσιν.

Νείλου. Τό ὀλιγωρεῖν, καί μή θέλειν ὑπομένειν συμφοράς, μεγάλης καί ποικίλης ἀφροσύνης ἴδιον.

Γλύκωνος. Γνῶσις θεοῦ διά μακροθυμίας καί πραότητος εἰς ἄνδρα γνωρίζεται.

Γρηγ. Νύσσ. Ἡ τοῦ λοιδορεῖσθαι καί ὑβρίζειν ἀκολουθία, διά μακροθυμίας ἵσταται τῆς ἐπί τά πρόσω φορᾶς· ὡς εἴ γέ τις ὕβρει τήν ὕβριν καί λοιδορίᾳ τήν λοιδορίαν ἀμύνοιτο, πλεονάσει πάντως, τρέφων διά τῶν ὁμοίων τό ἄτοπον.

(924) Τό πιστόν καί ἀναμφίβολον τῆς ἐλπιζομένης χάριτος, ἀπόλαυσις τοῖς δι᾿ ὑπομονῆς ἀπεκδεχομένοις γίνεται.

∆ημοκρίτ. Εἰ μέν ἦν μαθεῖν ἅ δεῖ παθεῖν, καί μή παθεῖν, καλόν τό μαθεῖν· εἰ δέ παθεῖν, τί δεῖ μαθεῖν; παθεῖν γάρ χρή.

Σόλων. Σόλων, προσπτύσαντος αὐτῷ τινος, ἠνέσχετο· μεμψαμένου δέ αὐτῷ ἑτέρου ἐπί τούτῳ, Εἶτα οἱ μέν ἁλιεῖς, εἶπεν, ὑπομένουσι ῥαίνεσθαι τῇ θαλάσσῃ, ἵνα κωβίον θηράσωσιν· ἐγώ δέ μή ἀνάσχωμαι τό αὐτό παθεῖν ἵνα ἄνθρωπον ἁλιεύσω;

Μητροδώρου. Μή ζήτει γίνεσθαι τά γινόμενα ὡς θέλεις, ἀλλά θέλε ὡς ἄν τά γινόμενα γίνηται.