Thomas Aquinas Quotes
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Far graver is it to corrupt the faith that is the life of the soul than to counterfeit the money that sustains temporal life.
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The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in His divinity, assumed our nature, so that He, made man, might make men gods.
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A man does not always choose what his guardian angel intends.
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Not everything that is more difficult is more meritorious.
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Behold our refutation of the error. It is not based on documents of faith, but on the reasons and statements of the philosophers themselves. If then anyone there be who, boastfully taking pride in his supposed wisdom, wishes to challenge what we have written, let him not do it in some corner nor before children who are powerless to decide on such difficult matters. Let him reply openly if he dare. He shall find me there confronting him, and not only my negligible self, but many another whose study is truth.
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There would not be a perfect likeness of God in the universe if all things were of one grade of being.
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Humility is the mark of a genuine disciple.
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It must be said that charity can, in no way, exist along with mortal sin.
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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.
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The greatness of the human being consists in this: that it is capable of the universe.
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The highest perfection of human life consists in the mind of man being detached from care, for the sake of God.
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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.
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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.
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Human salvation demands the divine disclosure of truths surpassing reason.
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It is appropriate that the Body and Blood of Christ be truly present in this Sacrament because of the perfection of the New Covenant. The sacrifices of the Old Covenant contained the true sacrifice of Christ's Passion only in symbol....Therefore it was necessary that the sacrifice of the New Covenant, instituted by Christ, have something more, namely, that it contain Christ Himself who has suffered and contain Him not only in symbol but in reality.
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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.
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Temperance is simply a disposition of the mind which binds the passion.
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It must be understood that prime matter, and form as well, is neither generated nor corrupted, because every generation is from something to something. Now that from which generation proceeds is matter, and that to which it proceeds is form. So that, if matter or form were generated, there would be a matter for matter and a form for form, endlessly. Whence, there is generation only of the composite, properly speaking.
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To disparage the dictate of reason is equivalent to contemning the command of God.
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Miracles are signs not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.
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It is necessary for the perfection of human society that there should be men who devote their lives to contemplation.
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There is no leisure about politics.
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What can be accomplished by a few principles is not effected by many. But it seems that everything we see in the world can be accounted for by other principles, supposing God did not exist. For all natural things can be reduced to one principle, which is nature, and all voluntary things can be reduced to one principle, which is human reason, or will. Therefore there is no need to suppose God's existence.
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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.