To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
Beware the man of a single book.
There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.
We must love them both, those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject, for both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in finding it.
Fear is such a powerful emotion for humans that when we allow it to take us over, it drives compassion right out of our hearts.
The soul is like an uninhabited world that comes to life only when God lays His head against us.
The things that we love tell us what we are.
Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.
Better to illuminate than merely to shine to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.
The Study of philosophy is not that we may know what men have thought, but what the truth of things is.
Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine
Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason.
Wonder is the desire of knowledge.
How is it they live in such harmony, the billions of stars, when most men can barely go a minute without declaring war in their minds?
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.
I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it. I would hope to act with compassion without thinking of personal gain.
For those with faith, no evidence is necessary; for those without it, no evidence will suffice.
Rarely affirm, seldom deny, always distinguish.
Love follows knowledge.
There must be must be a first mover existing above all – and this we call God.
The truth of our faith becomes a matter of ridicule among the infidels if any Catholic, not gifted with the necessary scientific learning, presents as dogma what scientific scrutiny shows to be false.
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.
Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.
We can't have full knowledge all at once. We must start by believing; then afterwards we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves.
Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do.
Faith has to do with things that are not seen, and hope with things that are not in hand.
The happy man in this life needs friends.
God is never angry for His sake, only for ours.
It is necessary for the perfection of human society that there should be men who devote their lives to contemplation.
It is not theft, properly speaking, to take secretly and use another's property in a case of extreme need: because that which he takes for the support of his life becomes his own property by reason of that need
