Best Thomas Aquinas Quotes

Thomas Aquinas was also known as Thomas of Aquino, he was a Catholic priest as well as an Italian Dominican friar. He was immeasurably significant theologian and philosopher in the tradition of scholasticism. Some of his popular thoughts are listed below.

1. “Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man’s own will.” - Thomas Aquinas
2. “A man has free choice to the extent that he is rational.” - Thomas Aquinas
3. “Good can exist without evil, whereas evil cannot exist without good.” - Thomas Aquinas
4. “Perfection of moral virtue does not wholly take away the passions, but regulates them.” - Thomas Aquinas
5. “Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder.” - Thomas Aquinas
6. “Not everything that is more difficult is more meritorious.” - Thomas Aquinas
7. “Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.” - Thomas Aquinas
8. “The things that we love tell us what we are.” - Thomas Aquinas
9. “Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine.” - Thomas Aquinas
10. “Law; an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community.” - Thomas Aquinas
11. “Clearly the person who accepts the Church as an infallible guide will believe whatever the Church teaches.” - Thomas Aquinas
12. “How can we live in harmony? First we need to know we are all madly in love with the same God.” - Thomas Aquinas
13. “Distinctions drawn by the mind are not necessarily equivalent to distinctions in reality.” - Thomas Aquinas
14. “Because of the diverse conditions of humans, it happens that some acts are virtuous to some people, as appropriate and suitable to them, while the same acts are immoral for others, as inappropriate to them.” - Thomas Aquinas
15. “It is possible to demonstrate God’s existence, although not a priori, yet a posteriori from some work of His more surely known to us.” - Thomas Aquinas
16. “That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell.” - Thomas Aquinas
17. “Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.” - Thomas Aquinas
18. “The things that we love tell us what we are.” - Thomas Aquinas
19. “How can we live in harmony? First we need to know we are all madly in love with the same God.” - Thomas Aquinas
20. “Temperance is simply a disposition of the mind which binds the passion.” - Thomas Aquinas
21. “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.” - Thomas Aquinas
22. “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.” - Thomas Aquinas
23. “Every judgement of conscience, be it right or wrong, be it about things evil in themselves or morally indifferent, is obligatory, in such wise that he who acts against his conscience always sins.” - Thomas Aquinas
24. “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” - Thomas Aquinas
25. “Beware of the person of one book.” - Thomas Aquinas
26. “Wonder is the desire for knowledge.” - Thomas Aquinas
27. “The theologian considers sin mainly as an offence against God; the moral philosopher as contrary to reasonableness.” - Thomas Aquinas
28. “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.” - Thomas Aquinas
29. “If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.” - Thomas Aquinas
30. “Justice is in subjects as well as in rulers.” - Thomas Aquinas
31. “It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.” - Thomas Aquinas
32. “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” - Thomas Aquinas
33. “Hold firmly that our faith is identical with that of the ancients. Deny this, and you dissolve the unity of the Church.” - Thomas Aquinas
34. “Love takes up where knowledge leaves off.” - Thomas Aquinas
35. “The principal act of courage is to endure and withstand dangers doggedly rather than to attack them.” - Thomas Aquinas
36. “All that is true, by whomsoever it has been said has its origin in the Spirit.” - Thomas Aquinas
37. “If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the way.” - Thomas Aquinas
38. “Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.” - Thomas Aquinas
39. “As the saints will rejoice in all goods, so will the damned grieve for all goods.” - Thomas Aquinas
40. “Justice is a certain rectitude of mind whereby a man does what he ought to do in the circumstances confronting him.” - Thomas Aquinas
41. “The knowledge of God is the cause of things. For the knowledge of God is to all creatures what the knowledge of the artificer is to things made by his art.” - Thomas Aquinas
42. “Human salvation demands the divine disclosure of truths surpassing reason.” - Thomas Aquinas
43. “By nature all men are equal in liberty, but not in other endowments.” - Thomas Aquinas
44. “All the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly.” - Thomas Aquinas
45. “Moral science is better occupied when treating of friendship than of justice.” - Thomas Aquinas
46. “Man should not consider his material possession his own, but as common to all, so as to share them without hesitation when others are in need.” - Thomas Aquinas
47. “If forgers and malefactors are put to death by the secular power, there is much more reason for excommunicating and even putting to death one convicted of heresy.” - Thomas Aquinas
48. “Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason.” - Thomas Aquinas
49. “As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active power of the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of a woman comes from defect in the active power…” - Thomas Aquinas
50. “That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell.” - Thomas Aquinas
51. “Everything I have written seems like straw by comparison with what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.” - Thomas Aquinas
52. “Well-ordered self-love is right and natural.” - Thomas Aquinas
53. “To live well is to work well, to show a good activity.” - Thomas Aquinas
54. “All that I have written seems like straw to me.” - Thomas Aquinas
55. “Whatever is received is received according to the nature of the recipient.” - Thomas Aquinas
56. “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.” - Thomas Aquinas

Above were few of the great quotes by Thomas Aquinas. If you have more of his quotes do share the same through your comments.