From Soliloqu ("Conversations with Myself")

Quote based on the book of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. ABOUT TRUE CHRISTIANITY. (Book one. Preparation for Christian wisdom: about sins and virtues. Part 2. About repentance and the fruits of repentance, or good deeds. Chapter 2. About humility. § 185) “If there is any good, small or great,” says Blessed Augustine, “this is Your gift, Lord; ours is only evil. What shall all flesh boast of? Is it evil? This is not praise, but poverty. Yours, O Lord, is your goodness, yours is your glory! Therefore, whoever seeks glory from Your goodness is a thief and a robber and is like the devil, who wanted to steal Your glory. For whoever seeks praise from Your gift and does not seek Your glory from it, but his own, although he is praised by people for the sake of Your gift, he is condemned by You, because from Your gift he sought not Your glory, but his own glory. But whoever boasts of people and is condemned by You, people will not protect him when You judge, and they will not deliver him when You condemn.” “If I ever had any good, I received it from You; Whatever good I have, it is Yours and I have it from You. If when I stood, I stood by You; if when I fell, I fell by myself, and would always lie in the swamp if You had not raised me up; I would always be blind if You had not enlightened me. When I fell, I would never have risen if You had not stretched out Your hand to me; but even when You raised me up, I would always have fallen if You had not supported me; I would have died more often if You had not controlled me. So always, Lord, so always Your grace and mercy precedes me, it delivers me from all evils, saves me from the past, restores me from the present, and anticipates me from the future, it also stops the snares of sin before me, it takes away cases and causes. Because if You hadn’t done this good for me, I would have committed all the sins of the world.” Soliloqu. (“Conversations with oneself”) ch. 15. This is how Blessed Augustine confesses about himself; This is how the wise teacher teaches us to confess ourselves and humbly acknowledge our weakness and damnation, and whether we turn away from evil or do good, attribute everything to the grace and mercy of God! “Behold,” says Blessed Augustine, “(the devil) has spread countless snares under our feet, and filled all our paths with various deceptions in order to ensnare our souls. He laid out nets in wealth, laid out nets in poverty, laid out nets in food, in drink, in luxury, in sleep and vigil; spread the network in word, in deed and throughout our entire life.” Soliloqu. (“Conversations with myself”) ch. 16.