In a society where each one sees himself as the first, no one makes any progress. If, however, one always considers oneself to be the last, meeting someone else becomes each time the opportunity for spiritual profit and progress. So it is best to be the last. If I am the first, life is infernally tiresome. If I am the last, life is a continual joy, because I am always learning something useful.
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on 2010-05-17 11:36 am (UTC)In a society where each one sees himself as the first, no one makes any progress. If, however, one always considers oneself to be the last, meeting someone else becomes each time the opportunity for spiritual profit and progress. So it is best to be the last. If I am the first, life is infernally tiresome. If I am the last, life is a continual joy, because I am always learning something useful.
Archimandrite Sophrony