Quotes by Thomas Aquinas
The intellect's true labor is to discern the essential from the accidental.
Prudence is the rudder that guides the ship of action.
Seek not to avoid hardship, but to learn from it. For it is in adversity that we discover our true selves.
Doubt is the shadow of thought; it is dispelled by the light of reason.
Justice tempered with compassion is the highest form of law.
Reason, when rightly applied, illuminates the path to understanding.
To act without reflection is akin to sailing without a rudder.
True courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to act despite it.
Doubt is a necessary companion on the path to understanding; embrace it, but do not let it paralyze you.
To act without reflection is to shoot an arrow without aiming.
A well-ordered mind is the beginning of all good action.
To master oneself is a greater task than mastering others.
The greatest virtues are often forged in the fires of adversity.
The greatest strength lies not in resisting change, but in guiding it.
The intellect's true delight lies in the pursuit of understanding, not merely its attainment.
Prudence dictates that we consider the consequences of our actions.
Justice tempered with compassion is the truest form of strength.
The pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong journey, never truly completed, but ever enriching.
A well-ordered mind is a fortress against the chaos of the world.
Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.
The measure of a society is not in its power, but in its justice.
To conquer oneself is the noblest and most difficult of victories.
The mind, like the soil, yields harvests according to what is sown.
True freedom lies not in doing what one desires, but in desiring what is good.
True freedom lies not in the absence of restraint, but in the right ordering of desire.
To act with integrity is to build a foundation of trust upon which all else may be built.
Order is the soul of the universe, and its reflection may be found in every well-governed life.
Seek not perfection, but strive for constant improvement.
Do not be quick to judge, for even the most flawed vessel may contain the purest water.
The discipline of the mind leads to the freedom of the spirit.
To seek the good in all things is to find the path toward virtue.
Patience is the art of hoping when reason despairs.
The intellect seeks truth, and the will seeks good; when both are aligned, true happiness is possible.