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The 70 most revealing statements of St. Thomas Aquinas

The 70 most revealing statements of St. Thomas Aquinas

April 20, 2024

One of the most important thinkers who opened the way to Renaissance, his life was devoted to the study, writing and teaching. The thoughts and phrases of Saint Thomas Aquinas they are based on the close relationship between human reason and faith.

Founder of the Thomistic school, he had an Aristotelian influence, and focused on his studies in metaphysics and cosmology. All this added to a life understood as a mission set out to serve the Christian god and the use of philosophy to understand that divine dimension in which he believed .

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The 70 phrases of Saint Thomas Aquinas

In this compilation of the phrases of Santo Tomás Aquino the reflections and aphorisms that best represent his philosophy appear.


1. Good can exist without evil, while evil can not exist without good

In one way or another, each pole needs the shadow of the other

2. Fear the man of a single book

This phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas, refers to people who have a fixed ideal and show it with frankness.

3. The beings endowed with intelligence wish to exist always and a natural desire can not exist in vain

That is why they transcend through their works.

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4. The student is the one who leads others to what he has understood: the truth

This sentence phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas, values ​​the power of people who devote their lives to study and resonate in others.


5. There are particular goods that do not have a necessary relationship with happiness, because without them you can be happy. The will does not necessarily adhere to such goods

And those kinds of things do not appear without forcing them.

6. To be an act voluntary, it must come from an intrinsic principle with some knowledge of the end

If we are going to offer our help, it must be free and spontaneous.

7. If the highest objective of a captain was to preserve his ship, he would keep it in the harbor forever.

This phrase tells us that if we do not risk we will not see the results of what we propose.

8. Belief is an act of the understanding that assents to the divine truth through an empire of the will moved by God through grace.

In this Saint Thomas Aquinas we can appreciate the reaffirmation of his faith.

9. Faith refers to things that are not seen, and hope to things that are not within reach.

A simple way to conceptualize these two elements.


10. The right is fair or adjusted to another according to a certain kind of equality

We do not all have the same perspective of what is fair.

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11. The law is the prescription of reason, ordered to the common good, given by the one in charge of caring for the community

This phrase of Saint Thomas Aquinas is focused on situations of civil coexistence.

12. God loves everything that exists

In this phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas, he focuses the reason of his faith.

13. Since the particular sciences leave untreated some things that need investigation, it becomes necessary to have a universal science and first to study those questions that are not dealt with by the particular sciences

About the study of different types of subjects that in their time were little taken into account.

14. Divine love, without comparison, is a fusion force, because it wants good for others

This phrase of Saint Thomas Aquinas talk about unconditional love .

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15. In this is properly to love someone: to want good for him. Therefore, in what someone loves, wants a good for himself

About that love that feeds both people.

16. The essence of love is to make friends with God, while He is happy and the source of happiness. "

Another phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas, focuses on the love of God, as an expression of his faith

17. It is necessary to admit something that is absolutely necessary, whose cause of his need is not in another, but he is the cause of the need of others. Everyone says God

St. Thomas Aquinas, in this phrase, makes apology of Christianity .

18. The existence of God is evident in itself, but not for us, therefore, it must be demonstrated "

On the struggle and importance of opening a path to religion.

19. Jesus Christ is the image of God in the human

In this phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas reinforces the idea that Jesus emanates directly from God, something that characterizes Christianity and its conception of the divine.

20. Christian spirituality has no other rule than following Christ the teacher

Another phrase dedicated to religious faith.

21. Contemplate and give others the contemplated

This phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas emphasizes the importance of solidarity.

22. Mercy itself is the greatest virtue, since it belongs to it to turn to others and, even more, to help its shortcomings.

On dogmas based on mercy.

23. This is peculiar to the superior, and that is why it is God's own to have mercy, in which his omnipotence shines forth

In this phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas Humanizes God, and that weight transports him to the duty of each person .

24. If someone does not love the truth, he is not a man

The truth as an inherent and pure trait of humanity.

25. The root of freedom lies in reason. There is no freedom but in truth

Lying always enslaves us.

26. To educate is to promote to the offspring the perfect state of man as a man, that is, to the state of virtue

For St. Thomas Aquinas, dedication to study was the most important after faith.

27. Work continues to be

This phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas refers to the search for

28. The law is the prescription of reason, ordered to the common good, given by the one in charge of caring for the community

One of the phrases of St. Thomas Aquinas that invite deep reflection.

29. The being of things, not their truth, is the cause of truth in the understanding

In this phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas alludes to the essence of everything that exists as what matters.

30. It is evident that the truth exists. Because whoever denies that truth exists, knows that truth exists. If, then, the truth does not exist, it is true that the truth does not exist

What is denied is because in some way it is being taken as something that exists.

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31. Sin offends God what hurts man

In this phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas, he brings the idea that the basis of the relationship with God involves sin .

32. Everything that is true, whoever has said it, has its origin in the spirit

This phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas places the origin of knowledge in the divine.

33. Every man has to invent his way

It means that each person can modify episodes of his life as he wishes.

34. Every movement of the will requires a prior knowledge. But not the other way around: not all knowledge precedes a voluntary notion

About the origin of the reason why we decided to do things.

35. Treat others as you wish others to treat you

This phrase talks about empathy and benevolence.

36. The action of understanding is that the formality or concept of the thing known is in the cognizer; instead, the act of the will is perfected by the movement towards the thing as it is in itself.

Everything takes shape according to how it moves.

38. God, who is pure act and has nothing of potential, has an infinite active power over other things

Phrase of Saint Thomas Aquinas that strengthens his belief.

39. As an individual, the woman is a weak and defective being

Position of Saint Thomas Aquinas regarding the female figure .

40. Love occupies the place that knowledge leaves

In this phrase of Santo Tomás de Aquino it talks about to that love and the cognitive thing many times they go by the same way.

41. Bad law, null law

If it is not useful, the law does not exist.

42. All truth, tell her who says it, is of the Holy Spirit

For St. Thomas Aquinas, the origin of value is the divine.

43. To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. For one without faith, no explanation is possible

If you do not believe in something, you do not believe.

44. Love is not a passion, because no virtue is passion, and all love is "a certain virtue"

In this phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas exalts love before any other expression of affection.

45. In this life, it is better to love God than to know Him

For St. Thomas Aquinas, God is the main reason for any reason.

46. ​​The common good exceeds the particular good

It is better to fight for the causes of the other because it allows us to grow in spirit.

47. Whatever gift we give to someone, the first gift we give him is to love him

Sentence of Santo Tomás de Aquino on the solidarity and love to prógimo.

48 The father must be more loved than the mother, because he is the active principle of procreation, while the mother is only the passive principle

This phrase of St. Thomas Aquinas would be very questioned today.

49. True love grows with difficulties; the false one goes out. From experience we know that when we endure difficult trials for someone we love, love does not collapse, but grows

About the honest love that builds.

50. Love leads to happiness. Only those who have it are promised eternal bliss. And without it, everything else is insufficient

This philosopher tells us about love.

51. The one who loves comes from within and moves to that of the beloved as soon as he wants his good and surrenders to get it, as if it were for himself

About tolerance and the unconditional support in the couple .

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52Any true friend wants for his friend: 1- who exists and lives; 2- all the goods; 3- doing good to him; 4- enjoying their coexistence; and finally, to share with him his joys and sorrows, living with him in one heart.

In this sentence St. Thomas Aquinas talks about friendship.

53. The friend is better than the honor, and the loved one, better than being honored

Above all, affection and friendship must prevail.

54. Love produces perfect joy in man. Indeed, only the one who lives in charity really enjoys it

Another phrase about love.

55. God, cause of everything, by the immense of his loving kindness, comes out of his own interior to fill all things

For St. Thomas Aquinas, God is the answer to every type of question.

56. The only instrument that men have both to improve themselves and to live with dignity is education

Reflections on the importance of study and knowledge.

57. The true teacher is one who helps the student achieve the perfection of science

About the role of the teacher.

58. All men by nature want to know.

About the need for knowledge.

59 The teacher who is limited to answering a problem only with arguments (citing authors) leaves the disciple with an empty head

The use of experience in sharing knowledge has greater power.


Purgatory, An Unpublished Manuscript, Entire Catholic Audiobook (April 2024).


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