“God seeks only one thing: that you honor him, love Him, and keep His commandments, acknowledging that He is your maker. He does not want you to divide His glory and to worship other things instead of Him. He does not want you to love anything more than Him for this reason when He gave His commandments to Moses through the divinely written law He said “here out Israel:thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy soul and with all by heart and with all thy might and with all thy mind.”  So my beloved child, do you understand? He has left no room for your love to incline anywhere else, but absolutely all the desire of your soul should be to love the Lord. In this manner Is grace will dwell upon you.”
Elder Joseph
~ Monastic Wisdom

“When I say someone has caught the Eastern spirit and abandoned the European, I mean that he has left behind logic, rationalism and has instead taking hold of simplicity and piety because that is the Orthodox spirit within which Christ rests, simplicity and piety. Today even spiritual people are often lacking in simplicity, the sacred simplicity that comforts the soul. If we do not renounce the secular spirit and do not adapt to the simple way – in other words if we do not stop being preoccupied with how others see us, or with what they say about us – we will never experience kinship with God and the Saints. But for this to happen we need to move to the spiritual realm. The more we live with simplicity, especially in a group (cenobium), the fewer bumps from our passions and the smoother we become. Otherwise we end up creating a fake person. This is why we must always strive to get rid of the secular carnival and become angels.”
Elder Paisios
~With Pain and Love

“After filling those two tanks [of water] I made the sign of the cross, put one on my back and heal the other with my hands. Father Gerasimos looked at me and felt sorry for me. At the time I was just skin and bones – sick and weekend by asceticism. Those tanks must have weighed more than I… The really difficult part though was going down the mountainside because of my feet slipped I would have fallen straight down the cliff and I would have either been killed or crippled. So I was filled with fear and trembling but the prayers of Geronda never abandoned me.”
Elder Ephraim narrating
~My Edler Joseph

“So many people come and all of them are in pain. And all of them are happy and strengthened when they leave. But do they ever think about where this pain of theirs goes? All of it comes to me. They don’t realize what remains with me when they leave here happy. It’s fine for now but how far is this going to go?” He manage to take human pain and grief to himself and transfuse others with joy and solace. He would taste bitterness while the people would be filled with sweetness and joy.
Elder Paisios
~Elder Paisios of Mount Athos

“Love Christ, have humility, prayer and patience. These are the four indicators on your spiritual compass; may the magnetic needle be your youthful Christian heart. When you have this hope my children, and Christ at the helm, fear not the stormy sea however tempestuous it may be. Your ship will arrive at the harbor filled with many virtues. Angels will come to unload and bring the valuable goods to Christ the King’s heavenly storehouse.”
Elder Amphilochios Markis
~Our Geronda