Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
All the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
There is but one Church in which men find salvation, just as outside the ark of Noah it was not possible for anyone to be saved. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
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. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
The things that we love tell us what we are. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Beware of the person of one book. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
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. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Good can exist without evil, whereas evil cannot exist without good. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
How can we live in harmony? First we need to know we are all madly in love with the same God. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Love takes up where knowledge leaves off. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the way. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Well-ordered self-love is right and natural. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Hold firmly that our faith is identical with that of the ancients. Deny this, and you dissolve the unity of the Church. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Clearly the person who accepts the Church as an infallible guide will believe whatever the Church teaches. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
To convert somebody go and take them by the hand and guide them. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
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. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
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. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Love must precede hatred, and nothing is hated save through being contrary to a suitable thing which is loved. And hence it is that every hatred is caused by love. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Perfection of moral virtue does not wholly take away the passions, but regulates them. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
We can’t have full knowledge all at once. We must start by believing; then afterwards we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Reason in man is rather like God in the world. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Three conditions are necessary for Penance: contrition, which is sorrow for sin, together with a purpose of amendment; confession of sins without any omission; and satisfaction by means of good works. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
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. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
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. ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Wonder is the desire for knowledge. ~St. Thomas Aquinas