John Cassian

Above all we should at least know that there are three origins of our thoughts, that is, from God, from the devil and from ourselves. They come from God when he deigns to visit us with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, lifting us up to a higher state of progress; or when we have made but little progress or through sloth have been overcome, he chastens us with most salutary compunction; or when he discloses to us heavenly mysteries or turns our purpose and will to better actions. This was the case of king Ahasuerus when, chastened by the Lord, he was prompted to ask for the books of the annals, by which he was reminded of the good deeds of Mordecai and promoted him to a position of the highest honor and at once recalled his most cruel sentence concerning the slaughter of the Jews.