When misfortunes befall you know that they are not due to what you have done, but to what you have thought. If we cannot restrain ourselves from committing a deed which we know is evil, it is due to the fact only that we first permitted ourselves to think of this evil act and failed to restrain our thoughts.
Strive not to think of the things which you behave to be evil. More injurious than evil acts are those thoughts which lead to evil acts. An evil act need not be repeated and it can be repented. But evil thoughts give birth to evil deeds. An evil act points the path to other evil acts. Evil thoughts drag you along upon the path to evil deeds.
Fruit is born of a seed. Even so deeds are born of thoughts. Even as evil fruit is born of evil seed, so evil acts are born of evil thoughts. As a farmer separates good and true seed from the seed of weeds, and selects from among the good seed the choicest and guards and sorts it; even so a prudent man treats his thoughts; he repels vain and foolish thoughts, and preserves the good thoughts, cherishing and assorting them. If you do not repel evil thoughts, nor cherish good thoughts, you can not avoid evil acts. Good deeds come from good thoughts only. Cherish good thoughts, searching for them in books of wisdom, in sensible conversations and above all in your inner self.