Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Related Quotes

John Chrysostom, fully Saint John Chrysostom

Musicke doth withdraw our mindes from earthly cogitations, lifteth up our spirits into heaven, maketh them light and celestial

Body | Devil | Evil | Grace | Heart | Language | Nature | Reading | Sin | Soul | Spirit | Will |

Saint Thomas Aquinas, aka Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis or Doctor Universalis

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.

God | Grace | Punishment | God |

Saint John of Kronstadt, fully John Il’ich Serguiev, aka Holy Father John of the Kronstadt NULL

Our faith, trust, and love are proved and revealed in adversities, that is, in difficult and grievous outward and inward circumstances, during sickness, sorrow, and privations.

Angels | Eternal | Grace | Joy | Men | Happiness | Value |

John Chrysostom, fully Saint John Chrysostom

We follow the ways of wolves, the habits of tigers: or, rather we are worse than they. To them nature has assigned that they should be thus fed, while God has honored us with rational speech and a sense of equity. And yet we are become worse than the wild beast.

Enjoyment | Eternal | God | Grace | Knowledge | Life | Life | Promise | Salvation | Time | World | Worship | God |

Saint Vincent de Paul

In order to become soundly virtuous, it is advisable to make good practical resolutions concerning particular acts of the virtues and to be faithful in carrying the out afterwards. Without doing that, one is often virtuous only in one's imagination.

Desire | Grace | Obedience |

Saint Vincent de Paul

It seems to me that the best way will be the one that is most gentle and forbearing, which is more in conformity with the Spirit of Our Lord and more apt to win hearts.

Day | Distrust | Good | Grace | Heart | Hope | Joy | Munificence | Peace | Prayer | Reason | Receive | Regard | Soul | Strength | Time | Trust | Will | Work |

Saint Vincent de Paul

Our Lord is pleased to deprive us of temporal goods; may it please His Divine Goodness to give us spiritual ones!

Grace | Lord | Merit | Order | Suffering | Virtue | Virtue | Wants |

Saint Vincent de Paul

We must be full reservoirs in order to let our water spill out without becoming empty, and we must possess the spirit with which we want them to be animated, for no one can give what he does not have.

Cause | Grace | Guidance | Humility | Lord | Meekness | Will | Guidance | Learn |

Saint Vincent de Paul

I can understand that the man you told me about has offended you, and I am very annoyed that he forgot himself like that. However, you must not consider what he did as coming from him but rather as a trial which God wishes to make of your patience. This virtue will be even more a virtue in you who are more sensitive by nature and have given less cause for the offense that you have received.

Forbearance | Grace | Kindness | Little | Reconciliation |

Saint Vincent de Paul

It is not easy to find perfect men in whom there is nothing to criticize.

God | Grace | Life | Life | Merit | Nothing | Wonder | God |

Saint Vincent de Paul

May the Holy Spirit pour forth into your hearts the lights of which you stand in need that a great fervor may be enkindled in them, that you may be faithful to, and in love with, the practice of all those virtues so that you may, for the glory of God, esteem your vocation at its true value, and love it in such a way that you may persevere therein for the remainder of your life, serving the poor in a spirit of humility, obedience, suffering and charity and may you be ever blessed.

Grace |

Saint Vincent de Paul

We must be firm but not rough in our guidance and avoid an insipid kind of meekness, which is ineffective. We will learn from Our Lord how our meekness should always be accompanied by humility and grace so as to attract hearts to Him and not cause anyone to turn away from Him.

Grace | Honor |

Samuel Butler

Christ and The Church: If he were to apply for a divorce on the grounds of cruelty, adultery and desertion, he would probably get one.

Grace | Virtue | Virtue |

Samuel Butler

A pair of lovers are like sunset and sunrise: there are such things every day but we very seldom see them.

Grace | Novelty | Truth | Will | Novelty |

Samuel Daniel

Pleasures are not, if they last; in their passing is their best: glory is more bright and gay in a flash, and so away.

Beauty | Glory | Grace | Love | Riches | Waste | Riches | Beauty |

Samuel Rutherford

Grace will ever speak for itself and be fruitful in well-doing; the sanctified, cross is a fruitful tree.

Better | Glory | Grace | Truth |

Samuel Richardson

I have my choice: who can wish for more? Free will enables us to do everything well while imposition makes a light burden heavy.

Grace |

Shvetashvatara Upanishad

The Self-luminous Lord, who is fire, who is in water, who has entered into the whole world, who is in plants, who is in trees-to that Lord let there be adoration! Yea, let there be adoration!

Grace |

Shvetashvatara Upanishad

Two birds, united always and known by the same name, closely cling to the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruit; the other looks on without eating.

Grace | Power | Sacred |