--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let us not believe that an external fast…" description: "\"“Let us not believe that an external fast from visible food alone can possibly be sufficient for perfection of heart and purity of body unless with it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/john-cassian-13822_anger_let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast_2921507.jpg" --- # Let us not believe that an external fast from visible food… ![“Let us not believe that an external fast from visible food alone can possibly be sufficient for perfection of heart and purity of body unless with it there has also been united a fast of the soul. For the soul also has its foods that are harmful. Slander is its food and indeed one that is very…” quote by John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/john-cassian-13822_anger_let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast_2921507.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/john-cassian-13822_anger_let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast_2921507.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/john-cassian-13822_anger_let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast_2921507.jpg) > ““Let us not believe that an external fast from visible food alone can possibly be sufficient for perfection of heart and purity of body unless with it there has also been united a fast of the soul. For the soul also has its foods that are harmful. Slander is its food and indeed one that is very dear to it. A burst of anger also supplies it with miserable food for an hour and destroys it as well with its deadly savor. Envy is food of the mind, corrupting it with its poisonous juices and never ceasing to make it wretched and miserable at the prosperity and success of another. Vanity is its food which gratifies the mind with a delicious meal for a time but afterward strips it clear and bare of all virtue. Then vanity dismisses it barren and void of all spiritual fruit. All lust and shift wanderings of heart are a sort of food for the soul, nourishing it on harmful meats but leaving it afterwards without a share of its heavenly bread and really solid food. If then, with all the powers we have, we abstain from these in a most holy fast our observance of the bodily fast will be both useful and profitable.”” [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical fasting must be paired with spiritual fasting; negative emotions are harmful foods for the soul. **In simple terms:** Avoid negative emotions as spiritual food. Key Takeaway Guard against anger, envy, vanity, lust. Themes self-discipline spirituality mindfulness Mood serious reflective Type didactic philosophical When to use this quote - daily journaling - mindful breathing - ethical reflection Key Concepts ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - Which negative emotion dominates you? - How can you replace it with positive practice? A Different Perspective Controlling emotions is challenging in daily life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Bodily Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bodily-fast-4259096/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Envy Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy-food-4259097/) [Fasting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fasting/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Food for the soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food-for-the-soul/) [Nourishing Harmful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nourishing-harmful-4259098/) [Purity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purity/) [Slander Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slander-food-4259094/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) [Vanity Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity-food-4259095/) ## Related quotes > [Happiness is food for the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaijuanda/happiness-is-food-for-the-soul/) [Kaijuanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaijuanda/) > [Being single is the shit, but having some there is like food for the soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-cueto/being-single-is-the-shit-but-having-some-there-is-like-food-for-the/) [Alison Cueto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-cueto/) > [“Reading. Food for the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pook/reading-food-for-the-soul/) [Pook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pook/) > [I think 'Soul Food' had the biggest impact on me because that's where I was really able to shine as an actress and because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-ari-parker/i-think-soul-food-had-the-biggest-impact-on-me-because-that-s-where-i/) [Nicole Ari Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-ari-parker/) > [It's some chopped liver. That's Jewish soul food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redd-foxx/it-s-some-chopped-liver-that-s-jewish-soul-food/) [Redd Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/redd-foxx/) > [I know I know this life is given for a reason god felt you would be strong enough to live it I know this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/racheal-smith/i-know-i-know-this-life-is-given-for-a-reason-god-felt-you-would-be/) [Racheal Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/racheal-smith/) > [I work out and go to the gym, but I still enjoy my soul food and snacks. But I'm a pretty petite young woman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naturi-naughton/i-work-out-and-go-to-the-gym-but-i-still-enjoy-my-soul-food-and/) [Naturi Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naturi-naughton/) > [A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keller/a-recipe-has-no-soul-you-as-the-cook-must-bring-soul-to-the-recipe/) [Thomas Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keller/) > [You see a lot of Baptist churches in Harlem, you see a lot of the same kind of cuisine, the soul food - there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/you-see-a-lot-of-baptist-churches-in-harlem-you-see-a-lot-of-the-same/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [“Written on the wall behind them was: 'Blues for the body, food for the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/written-on-the-wall-behind-them-was-blues-for-the-body-food-for-the/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [Wilderness is a necessity ... They will see what I meant in time. There must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/wilderness-is-a-necessity-they-will-see-what-i-meant-in-time-there/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Bread and books: food for the body and food for the soul - what could be more worthy of our respect, and even love?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/bread-and-books-food-for-the-body-and-food-for-the-soul-what-could-be/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [To me, martial arts is food for the soul and you have to respect that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renato-moicano/to-me-martial-arts-is-food-for-the-soul-and-you-have-to-respect-that/) [Renato Moicano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renato-moicano/) > [My parents owned a soul food diner. It inspired me to go to culinary school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavor-flav/my-parents-owned-a-soul-food-diner-it-inspired-me-to-go-to-culinary/) [Flavor Flav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavor-flav/) > [Honor Yourself is more than just food for the soul-it is true healing for the heart. Patricia Spadaro provides an honest approach to self-love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-louise-gittleman/honor-yourself-is-more-than-just-food-for-the-soul-it-is-true-healing/) [Ann Louise Gittleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-louise-gittleman/) ## More by John Cassian > [...just as the edifice of all the virtues strives upward toward perfect prayer so will all these virtues be neither sturdy nor enduring unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/just-as-the-edifice-of-all-the-virtues-strives-upward-toward-perfect/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [ ...the souls of the dead \[are\] not deprived of their intellectual faculties but... they also are not lacking in feelings such as hope and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/the-souls-of-the-dead-are-not-deprived-of-their-intellectual/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [...we should realize that there are three sources for our thoughts - God, the devil, and ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/we-should-realize-that-there-are-three-sources-for-our-thoughts-god/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [In proportion as the ardor of divine love brings you nearer to God, so will a larger concourse of saintly brethren flock to you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/in-proportion-as-the-ardor-of-divine-love-brings-you-nearer-to-god-so/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [Everything we do, our every objective, must be undertaken for the sake of... purity of heart... we must practice the reading of the Scripture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/everything-we-do-our-every-objective-must-be-undertaken-for-the-sake/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [When we say 'hallowed be Your name' to God what we are really saying is 'Father, make us such as deserve knowledge and understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/when-we-say-hallowed-be-your-name-to-god-what-we-are-really-saying-is/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [When the soul is solidly rooted in... peacefulness, when it is freed of the bonds of every carnal urge, when the unshaking thrust of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/when-the-soul-is-solidly-rooted-in-peacefulness-when-it-is-freed-of/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [We are often indifferent to our brethren who are distressed or upset, on the grounds that they are in this state through no fault…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/we-are-often-indifferent-to-our-brethren-who-are-distressed-or-upset/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [The apostles were very sure that everything of theirs which had to do with salvation was a gift to them from God. 'Increase our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/the-apostles-were-very-sure-that-everything-of-theirs-which-had-to-do/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [...we must first scrutinize thoroughly anything appearing in our hearts or any saying suggested to us. Has it come purified from the divine and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/we-must-first-scrutinize-thoroughly-anything-appearing-in-our-hearts/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [“It is not an external enemy we dread. Our foe is shut up within ourselves. An internal warfare is daily waged by us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/it-is-not-an-external-enemy-we-dread-our-foe-is-shut-up-within/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [If you want to correct your brother when he is doing wrong? you must keep yourself calm; otherwise you yourself may catch the sickness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/if-you-want-to-correct-your-brother-when-he-is-doing-wrong-you-must/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [The thief who received the kingdom of heaven, though not as the reward of virtue, is a true witness to the fact that salvation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/the-thief-who-received-the-kingdom-of-heaven-though-not-as-the-reward/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [...whoever is guided solely by his own judgment and decision will never climb up to the summit of perfection and will not fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/whoever-is-guided-solely-by-his-own-judgment-and-decision-will-never/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) > [All of our holy fathers knew this and all with one accord teach that perfection in holiness can be achieved only through humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/all-of-our-holy-fathers-knew-this-and-all-with-one-accord-teach-that/) [John Cassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) [Explore all 49 John Cassian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Let us not believe that an external fast from visible food alone can possibly be sufficient for perfection of heart and purity of body unless with it there has also been united a fast of the soul. For the soul also has its foods that are harmful. Slander is its food and indeed one that is very dear to it. A burst of anger also supplies it with miserable food for an hour and destroys it as well with its deadly savor. Envy is food of the mind, corrupting it with its poisonous juices and never ceasing to make it wretched and miserable at the prosperity and success of another. Vanity is its food which gratifies the mind with a delicious meal for a time but afterward strips it clear and bare of all virtue. Then vanity dismisses it barren and void of all spiritual fruit. All lust and shift wanderings of heart are a sort of food for the soul, nourishing it on harmful meats but leaving it afterwards without a share of its heavenly bread and really solid food. If then, with all the powers we have, we abstain from these in a most holy fast our observance of the bodily fast will be both useful and profitable.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Cassian" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast-from-visible-food-alone-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast-from-visible-food-alone-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/john-cassian-13822_anger_let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast_2921507.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/john-cassian-13822_anger_let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast_2921507.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/146/john-cassian-13822_anger_let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast_2921507.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let us not believe that an external fast from visible food alone can possibly be sufficient for perfection…” — John Cassian", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Cassian", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassian/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Let us not believe that an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast-from-visible-food-alone-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassian/let-us-not-believe-that-an-external-fast-from-visible-food-alone-can/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```