For pride is the beginning of sin, and he that has it shall pour out abomination: and therefore the Lord brought upon them strange calamities, and overthrew them utterly.
All Commentaries on Wisdom of Sirach 10:13 Go To Wisdom of Sirach 10
Gregory The Dialogist
AD 604
A person looks around him with vigilance and care. He examines his thoughts; bringing back to mind the life of his audience, he humbles himself and does his best in every way because then pride does not pop up in the mind in order to dominate him with its deeds. That is why it is written, "The beginning of all sin is pride." What, then, shall be the fruit of good work before the eyes of God, if it is corrupted from the root by pride? Often " his soul is tempted by anger, but looking around him, he immediately composes himself within and, submitting himself to discipline, acts thus so that the movement of the soul does not pass into words, does not explode into voice. And so it happens that the anger of the agitated soul dies, suffocated by reason, where it would otherwise rise through negligence. And so it happens that from a fault conceived, the soul gives birth to virtue, since although he did not know how to persistently keep watch so that the movement would not arise, he nevertheless vigorously conquered the agitation.
