"Abba Moses used to address those who lived alone, saying: ‘There are four principal observances: keeping quiet, observing the commandments of God, humbling oneself, and oppression by poverty. But these three virtues a man acquires with difficulty: that is, by grieving all the time, ever being mindful of his own sins, and always confronting his eyes with death.’"
January 1, 1970
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers