Saint Thomas Aquinas – His Wisdom in 25 Quotations
St. Thomas Aquinas, the universal teacher and one of the most brilliant minds to ever contemplate the ways of God, dispensed wisdom and common sense. In honor of his feast day, here are twenty-five quotes from the Angelic Doctor.
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
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The soul is like an uninhabited world that comes to life only when God lays His head against us.
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There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.
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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.
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Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.
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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.
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Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine.
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The Study of philosophy is not that we may know what men have thought, but what the truth of things is.
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Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.
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Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason.
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It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.
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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.
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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.
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God is never angry for His sake, only for ours.
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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.
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By nature all men are equal in liberty, but not in other endowments.
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The truth of our faith becomes a matter of ridicule among the infidels if any Catholic, not gifted with the necessary scientific learning, presents as dogma what scientific scrutiny shows to be false.
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A man has free choice to the extent that he is rational.
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I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it. I would hope to act with compassion without thinking of personal gain.
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The truth of our faith becomes a matter of ridicule among the infidels if any Catholic, not gifted with the necessary scientific learning, presents as dogma what scientific scrutiny shows to be false.
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Man has free choice, or otherwise counsels, exhortations, commands, prohibitions, rewards and punishments would be in vain.
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The happy man in this life needs friends.
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It is not theft, properly speaking, to take secretly and use another's property in a case of extreme need: because that which he takes for the support of his life becomes his own property by reason of that need.
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Faith has to do with things that are not seen, and hope with things that are not in hand.
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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.
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