To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin.
Thomas AquinasRead
The magnitude of the punishment matches the magnitude of the sin. Now a sin that is against God is infinite; the higher the person against whom it is committed, the graver the sin-it is more criminal to strike a head of state than a private citizen-and God is of infinite greatness. Therefore an infinite punishment is deserved for a sin committed against Him.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the seriousness of sins against God, stating that greater wrongs lead to greater punishments.
Thomas Aquinas argues that the severity of a sin is proportional to the greatness of the being it is committed against. Since God is of infinite greatness, any sin against Him warrants infinite punishment, just as striking a ruler is seen as more grievous than harming an ordinary person due to the higher authority and significance of the ruler.
Themes
SinPunishmentGodInfiniteAquinusPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about justice and morality, one might quote this to highlight the seriousness of moral transgressions.
More from Thomas Aquinas
All quotes βLaw is nothing other than a certain ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the person who has the care of the community.
Thomas AquinasRead
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 AquinasRead
A song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice.
Thomas AquinasRead
We are like children, who stand in need of masters to enlighten us and direct us; God has provided for this, by appointing his angels to be our teachers and guides.
Thomas AquinasRead
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
Thomas AquinasRead
Similar quotes
Philosophers are very severe towards other philosophers because they expect too much.
George SantayanaRead
It was the mark of a barbarian to destroy something one could not understand.
Arthur C. ClarkeRead
We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone. Only in the context of grace can we face our sin; only in the place of healing do we dare to show our wounds; only with a singleminded attention to Christ can we give up our clinging fears and face our own true nature.
Henri NouwenRead
As for solitude, I cannot understand how certain people seek to lay claim to intellectual stature, nobility of soul and strength of character, yet have not the slightest feeling for seclusion; for solitude, I maintain, when joined with a quiet contemplation of nature, a serene and conscious faith in creation and the Creator, and a few vexations from outside is the only school for a mind of lofty endowment.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
The 'deep' civic function of the humanities . . . is something understood very well by totalitarian societies, which tend to keep close tabs on them, and to circumscribe them in direct proportion to how stringently the population is controlled.
Mark SloukaRead
The Man who works for others, without any selfish motive, really does good to himself.
RamakrishnaRead