The sign that thou lovest God, is this, that thou lovest thy fellow; and if thou hatest thy fellow, thy hatred is towards God. For it is blasphemy if thou prayest before God while thou art wroth. For thy heart also convicts thee, that in vain thou multipliest words: thy conscience rightly judges that in thy prayers thou profitest nought.
-St. Ephraim the Syrian, ON ADMONITION AND REPENTANCE.

Let us then, bearing in mind all the things which have been said, show forth great love even towards our enemies; and let us ease away that ridiculous custom, to which many of the more thoughtless give way, waiting for those that meet them to address them first.
-St. John Chrysostom, Homily 18 on Matthew 5, 4th Century


Every work which does not have love as its beginning and root is nothing.
-St. John Chrysostom, Unknown, 4th century