Thomas aquinas quotes

Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory through Mary's maternal intercession.

A song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice.

The things we love tell us who we are.

Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do.

I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it. I would hope to act with compassion without thinking of personal gain.

It is only God who creates. Man merely rearranges.

For in order that man may do well, whether in the works of the active life, or in those of the contemplative life, he needs the fellowship of friends.

Wonder is the desire of knowledge.

There is but one Church in which men find salvation, just as outside the ark of Noah it was not possible for anyone to be saved.

We can open our hearts to God, but only with Divine help.

The Sacrament of the Body of the Lord puts the demons to flight, defends us against the incentives to vice and to concupiscence, cleanses the soul from sin, quiets the anger of God, enlightens the understanding to know God, inflames the will and the affections with the love of God, fills the memory with spiritual sweetness, confirms the entire man in good, frees us from eternal death, multiplies the merits of a good life, leads us to our everlasting home, and re-animates the body to eternal life

We can't have full knowledge all at once. We must start by believing; then afterwards we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves.

We are like children, who stand in need of masters to enlighten us and direct us; God has provided for this, by appointing his angels to be our teachers and guides.

One cannot use an evil action with reference to a good intention.

The soul is known by it's acts.

The Cross to me is certain salvation. The Cross is that which I ever adore. The Cross of the Lord is with me. The Cross is my refuge.

Characteristics which define beauty are wholeness, harmony and radiance.

The things that we love tell us what we are.

Rarely affirm, seldom deny, always distinguish.

Faith is God's work within us.

Whatever is received is received according to the nature of the recipient.

We must love them both, those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject, for both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in finding it.

O saving Victim, opening wide The gate of heaven to man below, Our foes press on from every side, Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.

Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.

You change people by delight, by pleasure.

The image of God always abides in the soul, whether this image be obsolete and clouded over as to amount to almost nothing; or whether it be obscured or disfigured, as is the case with sinners; or whether it be clear and beautiful as is the case with the just.

In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.

Obedience unites us so closely to God that it in a way transforms us into Him, so that we have no other will but His. If obedience is lacking, even prayer cannot be pleasing to God.

In the end, we know God as unknown.

For those with faith, no evidence is necessary; for those without it, no evidence will suffice.

Sloth is sluggishness of the mind which neglects to begin good...it is evil in its effect, if it so oppresses man as to draw him away entirely from good deeds.

Not everything that is more difficult is more meritorious.

Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution; justice without mercy is cruelty.

The greatest kindness one can render to any man consists in leading him from error to truth.

Without doubt one is allowed to resist against the unjust aggressor to one's life, one's goods or one's physical integrity; sometimes, even 'til the aggressor's death... In fact, this act is aimed at preserving one's life or one's goods and to make the aggressor powerless. Thus, it is a good act, which is the right of the victim.

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.

Better to illuminate than merely to shine; to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.

Whatever a man has in superabundance is owed, of natural right, to the poor for their sustenance.

Love takes up where knowledge leaves off.

Bestow upon me, O Lord my God, understanding to know thee, diligence to seek thee, wisdom to find thee, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace thee.

The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the cross.

Love follows knowledge.

Good can exist without evil, whereas evil cannot exist without good.

If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the way.

Don't ask who said it? Ask what they said.

Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.

Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer.

The greatness of the human being consists in this: that it is capable of the universe.

A man does not always choose what his guardian angel intends.

All men are equal in nature, and also in original sin. It is in the merits and demerits of their actions that they differ.

See to whom Jesus is drawing near, three kinds of people: to those who make peace with him, to those who are devoted to God, and to those who are kind to their neighbors.

There can be no joy in living without joy in work.

If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.

The existence of a prime mover- nothing can move itself; there must be a first mover. The first mover is called God.

The proper effect of the Eucharist is the transformation of man into God.

How can we live in harmony? First we need to know we are all madly in love with the same God.

To convert somebody go and take them by the hand and guide them.

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.

It is altogether unlawful to kill oneself... Wherefore suicide is contrary to the inclination of nature, and to charity whereby every man should love himself... Life is God's gift to man, and is subject to His power, Who kills and makes to live. Hence whoever takes his own life, sins against God... for it belongs to God alone to pronounce sentence of death and life.

We should love others truly, for their own sakes rather than our own.

The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love; It signifies Love, It produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.

Anything done against faith or conscience is sinful.

It is a sin to regard the fact that God cannot do the impossible as a limitation on his powers.

Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine.

God himself would not permit evil in this world if good did not come of it for the benefit and harmony of the universe.

Beware of the person of one book.

The highest perfection of human life consists in the mind of man being detached from care, for the sake of God.

A man's heart is right when he wills what God wills.

What does it take to become a saint? Will it.

It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.

One faith, St. Paul writes (Eph. 4:5). Hold most firmly that our faith is identical with that of the ancients. Deny this, and you dissolve the unity of the Church ... We must hold this for certain, namely: that the faith of the people at the present day is one with the faith of the people in past centuries. Were this not true, then we would be in a different church than they were in and, literally, the Church would not be One.

Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man's own will.

The fact that the evil ones, as long as they live, can be corrected from their errors does not prohibit that they may be justly executed, for the danger which threatens from their way of life is greater and more certain than the good which may be expected from their improvement.

Nothing created has ever been able to fill the heart of man. God alone can fill it infinitely.

Unbelief is the greatest of sins.

Of all the pursuits open to men, the search for wisdom is most perfect, more sublime, more profitable, and more full of joy.

Miracles are signs not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.

Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.

To love God is something greater than to know Him.

Humility is the mark of a genuine disciple.

The Church has ever proved indestructible. Her persecutors have failed to destroy her; in fact, it was during times of persecution that the Church grew more and more; while the persecutors themselves, and those whom the Church would destroy, are the very ones who came to nothing. . . .Again, errors have assailed her; but in fact, the greater the number of errors that have arisen, the more has the truth been made manifest. . . . Nor has the Church failed before the assaults of demons: for she is like a tower of refuge to all who fight against the Devil.

How is it they live in such harmony the billions of stars - when most men can barely go a minute without declaring war in their minds about someone they know.

We set forth our petitions before God, not in order to make known to Him our needs and desires, but rather so that we ourselves may realize that in these things it is necessary to turn to God for help.

True peace consists in not separating ourselves from the will of God.

Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace.

If you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust.

When the devil is called the god of this world, it is not because he made it, but because we serve him with our worldliness.

In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary. First, the authority of the sovereign... Secondly, a just cause... Thirdly... a rightful intention.

Better to illuminate than merely to shine.

The light of faith makes us see what we believe.

The soul is like an uninhabited world that comes to life only when God lays His head against us.

He who is not angry when there is just cause for anger is immoral. Why? Because anger looks to the good of justice. And if you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust.

God has no need for our worship. It is we who need to show our gratitude for what we have received.

Perfection of moral virtue does not wholly take away the passions, but regulates them.

If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth.

I cannot go on.... All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.

No man truly has joy unless he lives in love.

The Study of philosophy is not that we may know what men have thought, but what the truth of things is.

To love is to will the good of the other.

He (Mohammed) seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure to which the concupiscence of the flesh urges us. His teaching also contained precepts that were in conformity with his promises, and he gave free rein to carnal pleasure. In all this, as is not unexpected; he was obeyed by carnal men. As for proofs of the truth of his doctrine, he brought forward only such as could be grasped by the natural ability of anyone with a very modest wisdom. Indeed, the truths that he taught he mingled with many fables and with doctrines of the greatest falsity.

One aspect of neighbourly love is that we must not merely will our neighbours good, but actually work to bring it about.

God's precepts are light to the loving, heavy to the fearful.

One day when Thomas Aquinas was preaching to the local populace on the love of God, he saw an old woman listening attentively to his every word. And inspired by her eagerness to learn more about her God whom she loved so dearly, he said to the people: It is better to be this unlearned woman, loving God with all her heart, than the most learned theologian lacking love.

The soul is perfected by knowledge and virtue.

The truth of the Christian faith surpasses the capacity of reason.

It is not possible to be ignorant of the end of things if we know their beginning.

To pretend angels do not exist because they are invisible is to believe we never sleep because we don't see ourselves sleeping.

Mistakes are made on two counts: an argument is either based on error or incorrectly developed.

He who achieves power by violence does not truly become lord or master.

Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures.

Fear is such a powerful emotion for humans that when we allow it to take us over, it drives compassion right out of our hearts.

Human salvation demands the divine disclosure of truths surpassing reason.

To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin.

Charity brings to life again those who are spiritually dead.

Angels transcend every religion, every philosophy, every creed. In fact Angels have no religion as we know it... Their existence precedes every religious system that has ever existed on Earth.

Charity is the form, mover, mother and root of all the virtues.

There is within every soul a thirst for happiness and meaning.

It is clear that he does not pray, who, far from uplifting himself to God, requires that God shall lower Himself to him, and who resorts to prayer not to stir the man in us to will what God wills, but only to persuade God to will what the man in us wills.

Theology is taught by God, teaches God, and leads to God.

Christ was either liar, lunatic, or Lord!

Faith will tell us Christ is present, When our human senses fail.

God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason.

The highest manifestation of life consists in this: that a being governs its own actions. A thing which is always subject to the direction of another is somewhat of a dead thing.

Suppose a person entering a house were to feel heat on the porch, and going further, were to feel the heat increasing, the more they penetrated within. Doubtless, such a person would believe there was a fire in the house, even though they did not see the fire that must be causing all this heat. A similar thing will happen to anyone who considers this world in detail: one will observe that all things are arranged according to their degrees of beauty and excellence, and that the nearer they are to God, the more beautiful and better they are.