Abba Alonius said, “Unless a person says in his heart, ‘I alone and God are in the world,’ he will have no rest.”
He also said, “If I had not destroyed everything, I would not have been able to build myself up.”
He also said, “If a person wills it, from morning until evening he can reach a divine measure.”
Abba Agathon once asked Abba Alonius, “How can I restrain my tongue so that it does not speak falsehood?” Abba Alonius said to him, “If you do not lie, you are going to commit many sins.” He said, “How?” The elder said to him, “Suppose two men committed murder in your presence, and one of them fled into your cell. The magistrate is looking for him and asks you, ‘Did a murder happen in your presence?’ If you do not lie, you hand the man over to death. Rather, leave him before God without bonds, for He knows everything.”