St Maximus the Confessor: We carry about with us impassioned images of the things we have experienced...

We carry about with us impassioned images of the things we have experienced. If we can overcome these images we shall be indifferent to the things which they represent. 

For fighting against the thoughts of things is much harder than fighting against the things themselves, just as to sin in the mind is easier than to sin through outward action.

St Maximus the Confessor