Berachos, Chapter 4, Mishnah 4. This mishnah deals with two matters: first, the attitude a person must adopt toward his prayer; and second, how he should conduct himself when he is in distress or in a place of danger and cannot recite the regular prayer.
"Rabbi Eliezer omer: oseh tefilaso keva - ein tefilaso tachanunim" - Rabbi Eliezer says: one who makes his prayer fixed, his prayer is not supplication.
One who makes his prayer "keva" - fixed and routine - "ein tefilaso tachanunim" - his prayer is not a plea and a request for mercy before the Holy One, blessed be He, and it does not find favor before Him.
And what does "keva" mean? That the person's attitude is merely to discharge his obligation ("yotzei zein," in Yiddish) - as if to say: I have gotten my duty out of the way. Such an attitude does not find favor before the Holy One, blessed be He, for a person is meant to come before Him as one who asks. He must come with the feeling that he needs to be close to the Holy One, blessed be He, and that he needs His help. That is the kind of prayer that is desirable before Him, and that is the proper way to pray.
"Rabbi Yehoshua omer: hamehalech bimkom sakanah mispalel tefilah ketzarah" - Rabbi Yehoshua says: one who walks in a place of danger recites a short prayer.
Rabbi Yehoshua teaches a different matter: one who is walking or finds himself in a dangerous place, and cannot pray properly because of the danger involved, recites a short prayer, and may even do so while walking along his way. And this is its text:
"Hosha Hashem es amecha" - may Hashem save His people.
"es she'eiris Yisrael" - the remnant of the Jewish people.
"bechol parashas ha'ibur" - which is explained: even at a time when they turn aside to sin, and even when the Jewish people, Heaven forbid, are involved in committing transgressions.
"yihyu tzorcheihem lefanecha" - may their needs be before You, and may You hear their prayers.
"Baruch Atah Hashem shomea tefilah" - Blessed are You, Hashem, who hears prayer.
The Gemara itself presents a different text for this prayer, and this is the text brought in halachah:
"Tzorchei amecha Yisrael merubim" - the needs of Your nation Israel are great and many.
"veda'atam ketzarah" - while their understanding and their thought processes are limited, and they do not know how to express themselves properly.
"yehi ratzon lefanecha Hashem Elokeinu shetiten lechol echad ve'echad kedei parnasaso" - that You give each and every person according to his livelihood and his needs.
"ulechol geviyah ugeviyah dei machsorah" - and to every body whatever it lacks.
"vehatov be'einecha aseh" - and do what is good in Your eyes.
"Baruch Atah Hashem shomea tefilah" - Blessed are You, Hashem, who hears prayer.
The practical order of conduct: A person may recite this prayer on the road, while walking; and if he is able to stand still, he stands. And when he returns to a settled area, to a protected and safe place, he continues to pray: if the time for prayer has not yet passed, he prays the Shemoneh Esrei that he normally prays.
In summary: In this mishnah we learned Rabbi Eliezer's approach, that one who makes his prayer fixed and seeks only to discharge his obligation, his prayer is not supplication and does not find favor before the Holy One, blessed be He, since a person must come before Him as one who asks and needs His help. We also learned Rabbi Yehoshua's teaching about the short prayer recited by one walking in a place of danger, its two texts - the text of the mishnah and the text of the Gemara that was brought in halachah - and the practical order of conduct: at a time of danger he prays even while walking, and when he returns to a safe place, if the time for prayer has not passed, he prays Shemoneh Esrei as usual.