Origen, on Sir 10:9

“But nothing is more wicked than the covetous man. Why is earth and ashes proud?”

“Pride, haughtiness and arrogance are the sins of the devil, and for these faults you must leave heaven for earth. Thus, "God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble." And "How can he make dust and ashes proud?" so that one becomes arrogant, forgetting what he will become, in which fragile casing he is contained, in which excrements he drowns and which garbage he continuously emits from his flesh? What do the Scriptures say? "How can he make dust and ashes proud?" And again: "During life, one ruins one's own entrails." Pride is the greatest of all sins and the principal fault of the devil. When sometimes the Scriptures list the sins of the devil, you will discover that these come forth from the source of pride. Indeed, it says, "I will act in strength, and in the wisdom of my understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations and will spoil their strength. And I will shake the inhabited cities: and I will take with my hand all the world as a nest: and I will even take them as eggs that have been left." Observe how arrogant and haughty his words are and how he does not take anything into account. So are all those who are puffed up by boasting and by pride. Wealth, prestige and earthly glory are bait for pride.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.