Great Throughts Treasury

"Law: an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community."

"Lord, in my zeal for the love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love."

"Laws can be unjust because they are contrary to the common good. In no way is it permissible to observe them."

"Love is a binding force, by which another is joined to me and cherished by myself."

"Love follows knowledge."

"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."

"Love takes up where knowledge leaves off."

"Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures."

"Man does not choose of necessity... in all particular goods, the reason can consider an aspect of some good, and the lack of some good, which has the aspect of evil; and in this respect, it can apprehend any single one of such goods as to be chosen or to be avoided. The perfect good alone which is Happiness, cannot be apprehended by the reason as an evil, or as lacking in any way. Consequently man wills Happiness of necessity, nor can he will not to be happy, or to be unhappy. Now since choice is not of the end, but of the means... it is not of the perfect good, which is Happiness, but of other particular goods. Therefore man chooses not of necessity, but freely."

"Man has free choice, or otherwise counsels, exhortations, commands, prohibitions, rewards and punishments would be in vain."

"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."

"Man is judged to be good or bad chiefly according to the pleasure of the human will; for that man is good and virtuous who takes pleasure in the works of virtue, and that man evil who takes pleasure in evil works."

"Moral virtue can be without some of the intellectual virtues, namely, wisdom, science and art, but not without understanding and prudence. Moral virtue cannot be without prudence, because moral virtue is habit of choosing, that is, making us choose well."

"Moral science is better occupied when treating of friendship than of justice."

"Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason."

"Man's ultimate happiness lies not in this life."

"Not everything that is more difficult is more meritorious"

"No being can be spoken of as evil, in so far as it is being, but only so far as it lacks being. Thus a man is said to be evil because he lacks the being of virtue; and an eye is said to be evil because it lacks the power to see well."

"Music is the exaltation of the mind derived from things eternal, bursting forth in sound."

"O ineffable Creator, Who, out of the treasure of Thy wisdom, hast ordained three hierarchies of Angels, and placed them in wonderful order above the heavens, and hast most wisely distributed the parts of the world; Thou, Who are called the true fountain of light and wisdom, and the highest beginning, vouchsafe to pour upon the darkness of my understanding, in which I was born, the double beam of Thy brightness, removing from me all darkness of sin and ignorance. Thou, Who makest eloquent the tongue of the dumb, instruct my tongue, and pour on my lips the grace of Thy blessing. Give me quickness of understanding, capacity of retaining, subtlety of interpreting, facility in learning, and copious grace of speaking. Guide my going in, direct my going forward, accomplish my going forth… Amen."

"One cannot use an evil action with reference to a good intention."

"Obedience unites us so closely to God that it in a way transforms us into Him, so that we have no other will but His. If obedience is lacking, even prayer cannot be pleasing to God."

"Perfection of moral virtue does not wholly take away the passions, but regulates them."

"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."

"Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder."

"Pipes are not to be used for teaching, nor any artificial instruments, as the harp, or the like: but whatsoever will make the hearers good men."

"Practical sciences proceed by building up; theoretical sciences by resolving into components."

"Prudence considers the means of acquiring happiness, but wisdom considers the very object of happiness."

"Peace is the work of justice indirectly, in so far as justice removes the obstacles to peace; but it is the work of charity (love) directly, since charity, according to its very notion, causes peace."

"Quarrels arise more frequently where there is no division of the things possessed."

"Reason in man is rather like God in the world"

"Rarely affirm, seldom deny, always distinguish."

"Religion directs man to God not as its object but as its end."

"Reason may be employed in two ways to establish a point: first for the purpose of furnishing sufficient proof of some principle, as in natural science, where sufficient proof can be brought to show that the movement of the heavens is always of uniform velocity. Reason is employed in another way, not as furnishing a sufficient proof of a principle, but as confirming an already established principle, by showing the congruity of its results, as in astrology the theory of eccentrics and epicycles is considered as established because thereby the sensible appearances of the heavenly movements can be explained; not, however, as if this reason were sufficient, since some other theory might explain them."

"Since faith rests upon infallible truth, and since the contrary of a truth can never be demonstrated, it is clear that the arguments brought against faith cannot be demonstrations, but are difficulties that can be answered."

"Religion is not faith, but a confession of faith by outward signs."

"Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine."

"Still we must not suppose, what some have thought, that female sex has no place in the bodies of the risen Saints. For since resurrection means the reparation of the defects of nature, nothing of what makes for the perfection of nature will be withdrawn from the bodies of the risen. Now among other organs that belong to the integrity of the human body are those which minister to generation as well in male as in female. These organs therefore will rise again in both. Nor is this conclusion impaired by the fact that there will be no longer any use of these). If that were any ground for their absence from the risen body, all the organs bearing on digestion and nutrition should be absent, for there will not be any use for them either: thus great part of the organs proper to man would be wanting in the risen body. We conclude that all such organs will be there, even organs of which the function has ceased: these will not be there without a purpose, since they will serve to make up the restored integrity of the natural body."

"Temperance is simply a disposition of the mind which binds the passions."

"Sure, for all our blindness; secure, for all our helplessness; strong, for all our weakness; gaily in love, for all the pressures on our hearts."

"The character of the human will is of moment; because, if it is wrong, these motions of the soul will be wrong, but if it is right, they will be not merely blameless, but even praiseworthy."

"The blessed in the kingdom of heaven will see the punishments of the damned, in order that their bliss be more delightful for them."

"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."

"The believer and the philosopher consider creatures differently. The philosopher considers what belongs to their proper natures, while the believer considers only what is true of creatures insofar as they are related to God, for example, that they are created by God and are subject to him, and the like."

"The corruption of the best is the worst."

"The end of all my labors has come. All that I have written appears to me as much straw after the things that have been revealed to me."

"The existence of a prime mover- nothing can move itself; there must be a first mover. The first mover is called God."

"The end of every maker is himself."

"The goodness of the will depends on the intention of the end."

"The greatest of all pleasures consists in the contemplation of truth."