So, to detract from the perfection of creatures is to detract from the perfection of divine power. Thomas Aquinas More Quotes by Thomas Aquinas More Quotes From Thomas Aquinas Godhead here in hiding, whom I adore Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more, See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art Thomas Aquinas shadow lying art One will observe that all things are arranged according to their degrees of beauty and excellence, and that the nearer they are to God, the more beautiful and better they are. Thomas Aquinas degrees excellence beautiful Justice is a certain rectitude of mind whereby a man does what he ought to do in the circumstances confronting him. Thomas Aquinas powerful positive men A thing is lovable according as it is good. But God is infinite good. Therefore He is infinitely lovable. Thomas Aquinas lovable infinite Even as in the blessed in heaven there will be most perfect charity, so in the damned there will be the most perfect hate. Wherefore as the saints will rejoice in all goods, so will the damned grieve for all goods. Consequently the sight of the happiness of the saints will give them very great pain. Thomas Aquinas pain hate blessed He who is drawn to something desirable does not desire to have it as a thought but as a thing. Thomas Aquinas desirable doe desire Practical sciences proceed by building up; theoretical science by resolving into components. Thomas Aquinas building-up statistics science Man can sin against nature in two ways. First, when he sins against his specific rational nature, acting contrary to reason. In this sense, we can say that every sin is a sin against man's nature, because it is against man's right reason. Thomas Aquinas christian men two God answered the prayers of animals. Thomas Aquinas prayer animal The happy man in this life needs friends. Thomas Aquinas this-life men needs An act of love always tends towards two things; to the good that one wills, and to the person for whom one wills it. Thomas Aquinas acts-of-love persons two For it is necessary in every practical science to proceed in a composite (i.e. deductive) manner. On the contrary in speculative science, it is necessary to proceed in an analytical manner by breaking down the complex into elementary principles. Thomas Aquinas scientific-method principles science Nothing which implies contradiction falls under the omnipotence of God. Thomas Aquinas omnipotence contradiction fall Now this relaxation of the mind from work consists on playful words or deeds. Therefore it becomes a wise and virtuous man to have recourse to such things at times. Thomas Aquinas wise relaxation men The existence of a prime mover- nothing can move itself; there must be a first mover. The first mover is called God. Thomas Aquinas prime moving firsts In questions of this sort there are two things to be observed. First, that the truth of the Scriptures be inviolably maintained. Secondly, since Scripture doth admit of diverse interpretations, that no one cling to any particular exposition with such pertinacity that, if what he supposed to be the teaching of Scripture should afterward turn out to be clearly false, he should nevertheless still presume to put it forward, lest thereby the sacred Scriptures should be exposed to the derision of unbelievers and the way of salvation should be closed to them. Thomas Aquinas sacred-scripture teaching two It is necessary to posit something which is necessary of itself, and has no cause of its necessity outside of itself but is the cause of necessity in other things. And all people call this thing God. Thomas Aquinas causes people Charity, by which God and neighbor are loved, is the most perfect friendship. Thomas Aquinas neighbor charity perfect If there were some solitary or feral man, the passions of the soul would be sufficient for him; by them he would be conformed to things in order that he might have knowledge of them. But because man is naturally political and social, there is need for one man to make his conceptions known to others, which is done with speech. So significant speech was needed if men were to live together. Which is why those of different tongues do not easily live together. Thomas Aquinas passion communication men For just as the first general precepts of the law of nature are self-evident to one in possession of natural reason, and have no need of promulgation, so also that of believing in God is primary and self-evident to one who has faith: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is. Thomas Aquinas self faith believe
