Confidence And Despair

Οὔτε θαῥῥεῖν ἀναγκαῖον ἐπὶ τῳ πλήθει τῶν ἀνδραγαθημάτων, οὔτ' ἀπογινώσκειν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐπταισμένοις. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Φαρισαϊος θαῥῥήσας ἐπ' ἐργασίᾳ χρηστῇ, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀρετῆς κατηνέχθη τοῦ ὕψους, καὶ ὁ τελώνης μὴ ἀπογνοὺς τοσοῦτον ἀνωρθώθη, ὡς καὶ τὸν ἐνάρετον Φαρισαϊον ὑπερνῆναι τῇ ψήφω τοῦ κρείττονος Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΛ' Ζεφψριανῳ Source: Migne PG 79.168b

Do not be confident in the abundance of your good deeds among men, nor let the soul despair because of errors. For the Pharisee who was confident in his good works fell from the height of virtue, and the tax collector who did not despair in so much was raised up, even to be lifted above the virtuous Pharisee in the judgement of who was better. 1 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 230, To Zephyrianus 1 Lk 18. 9-14