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Thomas Aquinas

41 quotes

“Pange, lingua, gloriosi Corporis mysterium Sanguinisque pretiosi, Quem in mundi pretium Fructus ventris generosi Rex effudit gentium.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail; Lo! o'er ancient forms departing, Newer rites of grace prevail; Faith for all defects supplying, Where the feeble senses fail.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thus Angels' Bread is made The Bread of man today: The Living Bread from Heaven With figures doth away: O wondrous gift indeed! The poor and lowly may Upon their Lord and Master feed.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“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.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Anything done against faith or conscience is sinful.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Reason in man is rather like God in the world.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) first seen 1267 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Opuscule II, De Regno (On Kingship, c. 1267)
“Charity, by which God and neighbor are loved, is the most perfect friendship.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) first seen 1270 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quaestiones disputatae: De caritate (Disputed Questions: On Charity, c. 1270)
“It must be said that charity can, in no way, exist along with mortal sin.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) first seen 1270 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quaestiones disputatae: De caritate (Disputed Questions: On Charity, c. 1270)
“The reason, however, why the philosopher may be likened to the poet is this: both are concerned with the marvellous.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) first seen 1270 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Commentary on the Metaphysics (c. 1270–1272), 1, 3; quoted in Josef Pieper, Leisure, the Basis of Culture (New York, 1952), p. 88
“If … the motion of the earth were circular, it would be violent and contrary to nature, and could not be eternal, since … nothing violent is eternal.… It follows, therefore, that the earth is not moved with a circular motion.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) first seen 1272 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Commentaria in libros Aristotelis de caelo et mundo (Commentary on Aristotle's On the Heavens, c. 1272–1273)
“A hymn is the praise of God with song; a song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) first seen 1273 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Commentary on the Psalms (c. 1273), Introduction
“Omne verum a quocumque dicatur a Spiritu Sancto est.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Raynalde, non possum, quia omnia quae scripsi videntur mihi palae. Replying to Reginald of Piperno: Videntur mihi palae respectu eorum quae vidi et revelata sunt mihi.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) first seen 1273 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Reply to Reginald of Piperno after being asked to resume writing "Summa Theologiae" (then left unfinished), after a mystical experience while saying mass on or about 6 December 1273, as quoted in "The Life of Saint Thom…
“Jesus Christ: Bene scripsísti de me, Thoma; quam ergo mercédem accípies? Aquinas: Non áliam, Dómine, nisi teípsum.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Anima mea non est ego.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One who liberates his country by killing a tyrant is to be praised and rewarded.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Trans. J.G. Dawson (Oxford, 1959), 44, 2 in O’Donovan, pp. 329-30
“The greatness of the human being consists in this: that it is capable of the universe.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We can open our hearts to God, but only with Divine help.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Truth is the ultimate end of the whole universe.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For creation is not a change, but that dependence of the created existence on the principle from which it is instituted, and thus is of the genus of relation; whence nothing prohibits it being in the created as in the subject. Creation is thus said to be a kind of change, according to the way of understanding, insofar as our intellect accepts one and the same thing as not existing before and afterwards existing.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The perfection of the effect demonstrates the perfection of the cause, for a greater power brings about a more perfect effect. But God is the most perfect agent. Therefore, things created by Him obtain perfection from Him. So, to detract from the perfection of creatures is to detract from the perfection of divine power.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Natural inclinations are present in things from God, who moves all things. So it is impossible for the natural inclinations of a species to be toward evil in itself. But there is in all perfect animals a natural inclination toward carnal union. Therefore it is impossible for carnal union to be evil in itself.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The highest perfection of human life consists in the mind of man being detached from care, for the sake of God.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To become like God is the ultimate end of all.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Since the Jews may not licitly keep those things which they have extorted from others through usury, the consequence is also that if you [rulers] receive these things from them, neither may you licitly keep them.[…] You should restore them to those to whom the Jews themselves are morally bound to make restitution.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It would be better if they [rulers] compelled the Jews to work for their living, as they do in parts of Italy, than that, living without occupation, they can grow rich only by usury (solis usuris ditentur).”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now what has been said about the Jews is also to be understood about Cahorsins, and anyone else depending upon the depravity of usury.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is on account neither of God's weakness nor ignorance that evil comes into the world, but rather it is due to the order of his wisdom and the greatness of his goodness that diverse grades of goodness occur in things, many of which would be lacking if no evil were permitted. Indeed, the good of patience would not exist without the evil of persecution; nor the good of preservation of life in a lion if not for the evil of the destruction of the animals on which it lives.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Man reaches the highest point of his knowledge about God when he knows that he knows him not, inasmuch as he knows that that which is God transcends whatsoever he conceives of him.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is no order between created being and non-being, but there is between created and uncreated being.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Vita enim in hoc maxime manifestatur quod aliquid movet se ipsum; quod autem non potest moveri nisi ab alio, quasi mortuum esse videtur.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Tria sunt homini necessaria ad salutem: scilicit scientia credendorum, scientia desiderandorum, et scientia operandorum.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Lex naturae […] nihil aliud est nisi lumen intellectis insitum nobis a Deo, per quod cognoscimus quid agendum et quid vitandum. Hoc lumen et hanc legem dedit Deus homini in creatione.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nullum malum bona intentione factum excusatur.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If man of himself could in a perfect manner know all things visible and invisible, it would indeed be foolish to believe what he does not see. But our manner of knowing is so weak that no philosopher could perfectly investigate the nature of even one little fly.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“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.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now, as the Word of God is the Son of God, so the love of God is the Holy Spirit.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The order of authority derives from God, as the Apostle says [in Romans 13:1-7]. For this reason, the duty of obedience is, for the Christian, a consequence of this derivation of authority from God, and ceases when that ceases. But, as we have already said, authority may fail to derive from God for two reasons: either because of the way in which authority has been obtained, or in consequence of the use which is made of it. There are two ways in which the first may occur. Either because of a defect in the person, if he is unworthy; or because of some defect in the way itself by which power was acquired, if, for example, through violence, or simony or some other illegal method.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: in Aquinas: Selected Political Writings (Basil Blackwell: 1974), p. 183
“With regard to the abuse of authority, this also may come about in two ways. First, when what is ordered by an authority is opposed to the object for which that authority was constituted (if, for example, some sinful action is commanded or one which is contrary to virtue, when it is precisely for the protection and fostering of virtue that authority is instituted). In such a case, not only is there no obligation to obey the authority, but one is obliged to disobey it, as did the holy martyrs who suffered death rather than obey the impious commands of tyrants. Secondly, when those who bear such authority command things which exceed the competence of such authority; as, for example, when a master demands payment from a servant which the latter is not bound to make, and other similar cases. In this instance the subject is free to obey or disobey.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: in Aquinas: Selected Political Writings (Basil Blackwell: 1974), p. 183
“Muhammad seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure to which the concupiscence of the flesh goads 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. He did not bring forth any signs produced in a supernatural way, which alone fittingly gives witness to divine inspiration; for a visible action that can be only divine reveals an invisibly inspired teacher of truth. On the contrary, Muhammad said that he was sent in the power of his arms—which are signs not lacking even to robbers and tyrants. What is more, no wise men, men trained in things divine and human, believed in him from the beginning, Those who believed in him were brutal men and desert wanderers, utterly ignorant of all divine teaching, through whose numbers Muhammad forced others to become his followers by the violence of his arms. Nor do divine pronouncements on the part of preceding prophets offer him any witness. On the contrary, he perverts almost all the testimonies of the Old and New Testaments by making them into fabrications of his own, as can be seen by anyone who examines his law. It was, therefore, a shrewd decision on his part to forbid his followers to read the Old and New Testaments, lest these books convict him of falsity. It is thus clear that those who place any faith in his words believe foolishly.”
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) said by 1274 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source