Make it a rule for yourself from now on, that you will never pray haphazardly. Nothing offends the Lord more than this. It is better to recite a few of the set prayers with the fear of God and reverence than to recite all of them haphazardly. It is better even to fall down on your knees and recite one of the prayers or even use your own words than to do the other thing [i.e., to pray hurriedly and haphazardly].

—The Spiritual Life and How to Be Attuned to It, Letter 71 (“On Coldness in Prayer”)

Full citation: Dockham, Alexandra, trans. 1995. The Spiritual Life and How to Be Attuned to It. Safford, AZ: The Holy Monastery of St. Paisius. Page 277.