Preparation for Prayer and the Value of Time

One should spend much time putting himself in the proper frame of mind and spirit before he begins to Daven. One who is about to pray should learn from a common laborer, who sometimes takes a whole day to prepare for a job. A wood cutter, who spends most of the day sharpening his tools, and only the last hours cutting the wood, still has earned his full day’s salary.

Reb Menachem Mendel of Kotzk