Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P., was an Italian Dominican friar, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church. He was an immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, within which he is also known as the Doctor Angelicus and the Doctor Communis. The name Aquinas identifies his ancestral origins in the county of Aquino in present-day Lazio, where his family held land until 1137...
NationalityItalian
ProfessionTheologian
CountryItaly
men perfection mind
The highest perfection of human life consists in the mind of man being detached from care, for the sake of God.
heart people listening
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.
greatness humans human-beings
The greatness of the human being consists in this: that it is capable of the universe.
reason ends
God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason.
world tasks lost
The proper task of the Savior is that he is a savior; indeed, for this he came into the world: to seek and save what was lost.
heart men gods-will
A man's heart is right when he wills what God wills.
gratitude thankfulness needs
God has need for our worship. It is we who need to show our gratitude for what we have received.
philosophical reading book
Beware of the person of one book.
uplifting christian prayer
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.
believe miracle speaking-in-tongues
Miracles are signs not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.
change people delight
You change people by delight, by pleasure.
teaching men religion-of-islam
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.
light heavy fearful
God's precepts are light to the loving, heavy to the fearful.
devil world made
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.