“And now that you were defeated and fell once, be vigilant from now on with this passion, for the tempter always stands beside us. And in whatever battle a person has been defeated once—even if a hundred years pass—as soon as he encounters that same temptation that had defeated him, he is overpowered once again. Therefore, I am saying to you as well as to all the brethren that in every battle with the enemy, you must emerge victorious. Either die in the struggle, or win with God. There is no other road.”

Monastic Wisdom: The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast