Venerable Isaac of Syria is the mirror

Concerning the Homilies of Venerable Isaac of Syria
Elder Ieronymus of Aegina (+ 1966)

Forsake not Isaac. Every day one page of Abba Isaac. Not more. Isaac is the mirror. There you will behold yourself. The mirror is so that we may see if we have any shortcoming, any smudge on our face, in order to remove it, to cleanse ourselves. If there is a smudge on your face or on your eyes, in the mirror you will detect it and will remove it. In Abba Isaac you will behold your thoughts, what they are thinking. Your feet, where they are going. Your eyes, if they have light and see. There you will find many sure and unerring ways, in order to be helped. One page of Isaac a day. In the morning or at night, whenever. Suffice it that you read a page.

He who has become aware of his sins has controlled his tongue

Venerable John Climacus ~ The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Step 11 ~ On Talkativeness

¶4. He who has become aware of his sins has controlled his tongue, but a talkative person has not yet come to know himself as he should.

Who would not run this fair course of obedience?

Venerable John Climacus ~ The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Step 4 ~ On Obedience

¶ 105. From obedience comes humility, as we have already said earlier. From humility comes discernment as the great Cassian has said with beautiful and sublime philosophy in his chapter on discernment. From discernment comes clairvoyance, and from clairvoyance comes foreknowledge. And who would not run this fair course of obedience, seeing such blessings in store for him? It was of this great virtue of obedience that the good Psalmist said: Thou hast in Thy goodness prepared for the poor, obedient soul, O God, Thy presence in his heart.