O Lord and Master of my life,
Do not permit me the spirit of laziness, despair, lust of power, and idle talk,
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Your servant.

From Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Great Lent:

Chastity and humility are naturally followed by patience. The “natural” or “fallen” man is impatient, for being blind to himself he is quick to judge and to condemn others. Having but a broken, incomplete, and distorted knowledge of everything, he measures all things by his tastes and his ideas. Being indifferent to everyone except himself, he wants life to be successful right here and now. Patience, however, is truly a divine virtue. God is patient not because He is “indulgent,” but because He sees the depth of all that exists, because the inner reality of things, which in our blindness we do not see, is open to Him. The closer we come to God, the more patient we grow and the more we reflect that infinite respect for all beings which is the proper quality of God.

Finally, the crown and fruit of all virtues, of all growth and effort, is love — that love which, as we have already said, can be given by God alone-the gift which is the goal of all spiritual preparation and practice.

Patience

Too often people embarking on the spiritual life forget that patience is a virtue, and that, because of man’s freedom, the effort to cleanse one’s life from sin is tiresome and long. Everything is expected at once, with little striving and small effort.

Too often, also, people who wish to be patient forget that the virtue is a grace of God and a fruit of the Spirit. They think that they can attain patience with themselves and with others by will power alone; by rationalizations and human considerations. Such people never find peace for their souls.

Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble… (James 5:7-9)

~ from Fr. Hopko, “Patience”, p. 78-79 in Spirituality (Rainbow Catechism)

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A man cannot correct himself all of a sudden, but it is like pulling a barge - pull, pull, and let go, let go! Not all at once, but little by little.

~ St. Ambrose of Optina 

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Therefore, brothers, may the mercy of God help us to obtain at least a little bit of humility and discernment, because this world is full of traps and snares and every kind of temptation and worldly devices to make us fall. We need discernment at all times. Remember what I told you before: the forest is not afraid of someone who carries off a cartload of wood because it knows that the axel of the cart will break as it goes down the road. No, the forest fears the one who carries off a piece of wood every time he leaves the woods. That is the way it is with the enemy of our souls: he does not fear the one who undertakes great ascetic feats at once, for he knows that person will become tired and abandon everything. Instead, he fears the one who increases in the spiritual life little by little. St. Theodosius says that by working little by little, man gains great wealth in both material and spiritual things. Do things little by little and always regret that you have not done more.

~ Elder Cleopa

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The Lord says: ‘In your patience possess ye your souls’ (Luke 21:19). He did not say: in your fast or in your vigil. By patience I mean that patience which is of God and is the queen of virtues and the basis of manly valor. It is in itself - peace amid strife, stillness in the midst of storm and an impregnable position for those who have acquired it.

~ St. Gregory of Sinai (Texts on Commandments and Dogmas no. 84)

Love

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

~ 1 Corinthians 13

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Faith and love, which are gifts of the Holy Spirit, are such great and powerful means that a person who has them can easily, and with joy and consolation, go the way Jesus Christ went.

~ St. Innocent, Enlightener of America

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Everything is for man to love Christ and all the other problems are taken care of.

~ Elder Porphyrios

Select quotes c/o Gleanings