Mirror of the Honest Life and Eight Points of Spiritual Perfection

Indeed, before all things, you must know that you ought to flee all pride of heart, boasting, and arrogance as if they were certain plagues and poisonous animals, and a certain venom of souls. You must know, without a doubt, that everyone who exalts his own heart is unclean before God. Likewise, despise no one, harm no one, speak ill of no one, and in the name of Christ, strive to be useful to everyone. Furthermore, not only believe that you are inferior and viler than others with the intimate affection of your heart, but do not even say that you have progressed, nor think yourself to be anything. According to that saying of the Apostle: "For if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself" Galatians 6:3.

To this, let your gait be full of maturity, grave and honest; that is, do not walk with broken steps, nor by turning or twisting your shoulders to the right or left, nor with an erect neck, nor with a protruding chest or head inclined over a shoulder, for all these things reek of levity, or show pride, or smack of hypocrisy. Walking, standing, sitting, conduct yourself while reflecting in your mind that you are dust and unto dust you shall return; and with your heart turned upward, look at or back at no one with any curiosity. It is proper that you show sadness of mind, especially in a gathering, though you should place a certain cheerfulness upon your face. Privately, however, your expression should never change into something different; if you are compelled by someone, for some reason, to laugh—as sometimes happens—it should not break out into boisterousness. Among your cares, interpose joys; never be idle, but either read or ruminate on the psalms while working on something from the Holy Scriptures, or—which is certainly better—do what you have been enjoined to do, so that the devil never finds you unoccupied, for idleness has taught many evils. Read most willingly those scriptures which inflame your devotion rather than those which merely entice the intellect. Understand what I say: the Lord will give you understanding if you ponder the circumspection of God in your senses. And when you pray, do not fill your ears with the sobs and sighs of those listening, but attend to your Lord God.