12 surviving letters between Athanasios and Isidore of Pelusium, spanning c. 394–434.
Why do people bring the Lord's judgment down upon themselves?
Why did you choose the narrow way and make vows to God about it, only to walk the broad road?
If you imagine that being tall makes you greater than other people, the giant Nimrod far surpassed you, as did the...
I hear that flatterers hang on your every word, swearing that everything you do is excellent — even if what you...
Whoever, having seen the ineffable and surpassing beauty of self-control, was not conquered by its attraction — let...
I have received what you sent, and I recognize in it the spirit of one who genuinely seeks rather than one who...
The demands of the priestly life are real, Athanasios — I will not pretend otherwise.
When someone treats you unjustly, Athanasios, the natural response is to respond in kind.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Flatterers are not friends — they are parasites who feed on your vanity and disappear when your power fades.
Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching.
God's judgment is certain, and no amount of cleverness or delay can avoid it.