Syncletica of Alexandria

It is impossible for us to be surrounded by worldly honour and at the same time to bear heavenly fruit.

Amma Syncletica of Alexandria was one of the Desert Mothers quoted in the Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers).

Quotes

Ward, Benedicta (1984). The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: the Alphabetical Collection. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications.

• She also said, 'Just as it is impossible to be at the same moment both a plant and a seed, so it is impossible for us to be surrounded by worldly honour and at the same time to bear heavenly fruit.'
  • Saying 22

• She also said, 'Just as one cannot build a ship unless one has some nails, so it is impossible to be saved without humility.'
  • Saying 26