Selected quotes by St. Antony the Great

"We must not hate those who ignore the way of life which is good and conforms to God's will, and who pay no heed to the teachings that are true and divine. Rather, we must show mercy to them as being crippled in discrimination and blind in heart and mind. For in accepting evil as good, they are destroyed by ignorance; and, being wretched and obtuse in soul, they do not know God."

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"There are some souls which the intelligence does not control, and the intellect does not govern, in such a way as to check and restrain their passions - that is, pain and pleasure. These souls perish like mindless animals, since the intelligence is carried away by the passions like a charioteer who loses control over his horses."

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"The wicked man delights in excess while he despises justice. He takes no account of the uncertainty, inconstancy and brevity of life, nor does he reflect that death cannot be bribed and is inexorable."