Your salvation and your destruction is in your nearest. Your salvation depends on how you behave toward your fellow man. Do not forget that you see the image of God in them. The award for forgiving an insult, is greater than the reward of every virtue.
Without patience and indulgence (leniency) towards nearest it is impossible to live. Never condemn anyone. Every person, whoever he was, take it with good feelings and hope that you’ll find in him only good, looking at God’s image in front of you. Beware of condemnation as of fire, which can burn the temple in your soul. Do not pay attention to the human weakness of people, do not expect from people, take care of yourselves.
Beware of jokes and reckless words in mutual relations. Such condemnations and frivolous talk can pass into a habit. Carefully take care of yourself, and consider them better than you, and God will help you. You need not only to act but also to speak with fear of God, by measuring each word before uttering it.
Venerable Nikon of Optina
