'Our seventh struggle is against the demon of
self-esteem, a multiform and subtle passion which is not readily
perceived even by the person whom it tempts. The provocations of the
other passions are more apparent and it is therefore somewhat easier to
do battle with them, for the soul recognizes its enemy and can repulse
him at once by rebutting him and by prayer. The vice of self-esteem,
however, is difficult to fight against, because it has many forms and
appears in all our activities - in our way of speaking, in what we say
and in our silences, at work, in vigils and fasts, in prayer and
reading, in stillness and long-suffering. Through all these it seeks to
strike down the soldier of Christ. When it cannot seduce a man with
extravagant clothes, it tries to tempt him by means of shabby ones. When
it cannot flatter him with honor, it inflates him by causing him to
endure what seems to be dishonor. When it cannot persuade him to feel
proud of his display of eloquence, it entices him through silence into
thinking he has achieved stillness. When it cannot puff him up with the
thought of his luxurious table, it lures him into fasting for the sake
of praise. In short, every task, every activity, gives this malicious
demon a chance for battle.'
