Letter 58

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed group of teachers
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on the duty of teachers to teach by example, not just words.

Those who are guides and teachers must not only keep themselves above reproach but must also be rich in divine virtues. For the first quality belongs even to ordinary people, but the second belongs to those who have reached the heights of virtue. These are the ones who, even if they say nothing, teach their students with a silence more eloquent than speech — not entertaining their ears, but illuminating their souls. Those who think a teacher needs nothing more than words merely annoy their listeners and make themselves ridiculous. But those who shine by their deeds — even if they practice silence — set the hearts of their students on fire.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.