Don’t be like the ant or the fly that for a little sweetness they put in danger their freedom. Also, don’t be like the pigs who always turn back to the garden from which they were just cast away. Don’t be like those people who have lost their head and don’t let any delights of this world enslave you. Remember that we were given this life for a short period of time and don’t attach too much to it. It’s better to be free than slave, choose self-control rather than fetters. Submit yourself to God and not to corruptible passions – and you shall receive salvation.

(Translation from Sfântul Dimitrie al Rostovului, Alfabetul duhovnicesc, Editura Sophia, București, 2007, p. 44)