Quotes About Philosophy

God is not related to creatures as though belonging to a different "genus," but as transcending every "genus," and as the principle of all "genera."

Moreover, virtue is not concerned with the amount of pleasure experienced by the external sense, as this depends on the disposition of the body; what matters is how much the interior appetite is affected by that pleasure.

If ... the motion of the earth were circular, it would be violent and contrary to nature, and could not be eternal, since ... nothing violent is eternal.... It follows, therefore, that the earth is not moved with a circular motion.

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

As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active power of the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex while the production of a woman comes from defect in the active power.

Well-ordered self-love is right and natural.

Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder.

Wonder is the desire of knowledge.

There must be must be a first mover existing above all – and this we call God.

It is necessary for the perfection of human society that there should be men who devote their lives to contemplation.

The human mind may perceive truth only through thinking, as is clear from Augustine.

The slenderest knowledge that may be obtained of the highest things is more desirable than the most certain knowledge obtained of lesser things.

The truth can be perceived only through thinking, as is proven by Augustine.

The splendor of a soul in grace is so seductive that it surpasses the beauty of all created things.

our manner of knowing is so weak that no philosopher could perfectly investigate the nature of even one little fly.

Of all human pursuits, the pursuit of wisdom is the most perfect, the most sublime, the most useful, and the most agreeable.

Again, it is self-evident that truth exists. For truth exists if anything at all is true, and if anyone denies that truth exists, he concedes that it is true that it does not exist, since if truth does not exist it is then true that it does not exist.

If, then, the final happiness of man does not consist in those exterior advantages which are called goods of fortune, nor in goods of the body, nor in goods of the soul in its sentient part, nor in the virtues of practical intellect, called art and prudence, it remains that the final happiness of man consists in the contemplation of truth.

Hominem unius libri timeo

Reason in man is rather like God in the world.

nothing can be known, save what is true;

Angels need an assumed body, not for themselves, but on our account.

the intention of every man acting according to virtue is to follow the rule of reason, wherefore the intention of all the virtues is directed to the same end, so that all the virtues are connected together in the right reason of things to be done, viz. prudence,

Now the maximum in any genus is the cause of all in that genus; as fire, which is the maximum heat, is the cause of all hot things. Therefore there must also be something which is to all beings the cause of their being, goodness, and every other perfection; and this we call God.