Attributed to Seraphim of Sarov

«"Acquire the spirit of peace, and thousands around you will be saved."»
Misattributed

Verdict

It is not in Seraphim of Sarov's work

It is his most quoted saying, but it is not found in this form either in the Instructions of 1839 or in the Conversation with Motovilov as published by Nilus. The idea is in the chapter 'On peace of soul' of the Instructions ('when a man comes to a peaceful state, he can pour out on others the light…'); the short formula circulates in twentieth- and twenty-first-century devotional collections without reference to a primary source.

Source: Serafín de Sarov (atrib.). Духовные наставления мирянам и инокам [Instrucciones espirituales a laicos y monjes]. Recogidas por el monje Sergio (Vasíliev) de Sarov, revisadas por el metropolita Filaret (Drozdov) y publicadas en Краткое начертание жизни старца Саровской пустыни, схимонаха и пустынника Марка. Troitse-Sérguieva Lavra, 1839. Texto cotejado (ediciones de 1839, 1856, 1863 y 1903–1904) en Azbuka very.

What they did say

Verified words of Seraphim of Sarov

«The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God.»
Conversación con Motovílov (noviembre de 1831), en Nilus, Великое в малом (1903). Atribución sujeta a las dudas sobre la literalidad del manuscrito.
«Fasting, vigil, prayer, almsgiving and every good deed done for Christ's sake are means for acquiring the Holy Spirit of God.»
Conversación con Motovílov, a continuación de la anterior.
«The acquisition of the Spirit of God is also a capital, but a capital of grace and eternal.»
Conversación con Motovílov, respuesta a «¿Cómo adquirir?».

All verified quotes