Prayer is the root, the ...

Prayer is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings.
 Saint John Chrysostom

Quotes from the same author

Mary was made Mother of God to obtain salvation for many who, on account of their wicked lives, could not be saved according to the rigor of Divine justice, but might be saved with the help of her sweet mercy and powerful intercession.
 Saint John Chrysostom
The desire to rule is the mother of heresies.
 Saint John Chrysostom
A mother experiences more than one death, even though she herself will only die once. She fears for her husband; she fears for her children; again she fears for the women and children who belong to her children. ... For each of these-whether for loss of possessions, bodily illness, or undesired misfortune-she mourns and grieves no less than those who suffer.
 Saint John Chrysostom
Abba Moses asked Abba Sylvanus, Can a person lay a new foundation every day? The old man replied, If you work hard, you can lay a new foundation every moment. Abba Pimen said, To throw yourself before God, not to measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will; these are the instruments for the work of the soul. The desire to rule is the mother of heresies.
 Saint John Chrysostom
Shall I tell you of their plundering, their covetousness, their abandonment of the poor, their thefts, their cheating in trade?
 Saint John Chrysostom