He who would pray freely and untroubled must keep himself in ignorance of the news in newspapers, nor should he read mean books, or be curious to know details of other people’s lives….
Uninterrupted prayer is born of love, but fault-finding, idle talk and self-indulgence are the death of prayer.
~Archimandrite Sophrony (Wisdom of Mt Athos, pp.83-84)
Prayerful Life 