“As we think in our hearts, or inner beings, so we are. The raw material of our actions is what we take into our minds and allow to settle in our hearts…The body cannot be defiled without the consent of the mind (Foundation Study Bible, Matthew 15:18, Holy Virgin Martyr Lucy)
“Be on guard at all times so that you do not listen to any bad thoughts. Strive to push them away from the moment they appear, because once you have accepted them, they will turn into words and deeds.” (Elder Sergei of Vanves)
“Do not treat your conscience with contempt, for it always advises you to do what is best. It sets before you the will of God and the angels; it frees you from the secret defilements of the heart; and when you depart this life it grants you the gift of intimacy with God." (St. Maximos the Confessor)
“True prayer brings down the grace of God on the one who prays, it fills his mind and heart with grace, and it prevents the mind from flirting with all sorts of harmful thoughts and inclinations.” (St. Anthony)
“God wants us to have healthy thoughts and motives, not just healthy bodies.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 15:16-20)
“…if evil thoughts have not been uprooted from the heart, they are bound to manifest themselves in evil actions." (St. Philotheos of Sinai)
“It is completely impossible for our minds not to be bothered by shameful thoughts. Everyone who has come to self-control, however, is able to either accept such thoughts and commit himself to them with interest, or to reject them. For while the coming upon us of such thoughts does not depend on us, their banishment from our mind does depend on us. The retrieval of our mind (from them) is the work of our free will and of vigilant care." (St. Moses the Ethiopian)
“Christian growth is a lifelong process…we don’t automatically think good thoughts and have all pure attitudes when we become new people in Christ. But if we keep listening to God, we will be changing all of the time.” (Life Application Study Bible, Colossians 2:20-23)
“Most of us live outside our heart, and our mind is in a constant state of confusion. Some good thoughts may surface from time to time, but the majority will be harmful, and this destructive condition will prevail for as long as we continue to ignore our heart...The prayers of a fragmented mind have neither clarity nor depth, but a mind that is reunited with the heart overflows with humble prayer…” (Archimandrite Zacharias of Essex)
“…we may believe that we are incapable of heinous acts…we may think that we are righteous by virtue of our own spiritual powers, which is evidence of blatant self-righteousness…Let us take care that we never allow self-satisfied remarks to slip out of our mouths, such as"I would never do that,”"I wouldn’t think of it,”"I don’t ever act in that way.” As the Lord says,"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”… We shall be judged before God according to the"thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb 4:12). Measured by the thoughts of our hearts, we are definitely capable of anything and everything.” (Dynamis 8/10/2014)