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Elder, how can I dispel vainglorious thoughts? By rejoicing with the opposites of what worldly people seek. You can be active in the spiritual realm only if your pursuits are opposite to those of worldly people. Do you seek tenderness? Rejoice when people pay no attention to you. Do you seek a throne? Seat yourself on a stool. Do you seek praise? Love contempt and scorn in order to experience the love of the despised Jesus. Do you seek glory? Seek dishonour in order to experience the glory of God. And when you experience the glory of God, you will sense happiness and have the greatest joy of all the joys in all the world within yourself.
Saint Paisios the Athonite, Spiritual Counsels, Vol. 5
