some general advice on the attitude of a devotee

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Follow the regulative principles very strictly, and be ready to tolerate all

kinds of set-backs and disappointments. The difference between a devotee and

a nondevotee is this, just like the bee and the fly: The bee always is

attracted by the honey and flies go to open sores. So the devotee is only

attracted by the good qualities in other people and does not see their

faults. He is friend to everyone and in this way he finds his life sublime.

Of course we are not ourselves perfect, so sometimes there may be something,

and we may lose our enthusiasm to do something. But these things come and

go, and you should not bother very much with them.

 

(Srila Prabhupada's letter to Badrinarayana dasa, November 18th, 1971)