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
Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote is a prayer for inner strength and moral integrity amidst challenges and temptations.
Thomas Aquinas's quote expresses a yearning for a heart that remains unwavering in the face of unworthy desires, hardships, and misguided intents. It calls upon God for the virtues of steadfastness, understanding, diligence, wisdom, and faithfulness, emphasizing the importance of maintaining one’s moral compass and seeking a deeper connection with the divine.
Themes
HeartSteadfastUnderstandingWisdomFaithfulness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of moral character in leadership.
More from Thomas Aquinas
All quotes →Law 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
To have and not to give is often worse than to steal.
Marie Von Ebner-EschenbachRead
There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
J. R. R. TolkienRead
On the night that the Second World war was declared, there were crowds in the street. It was a summer's night and there was a blackout. On every side you heard people crying: 'Look at the moon!' The moon had been there every minute of their lives and they'd never seen it.
Laurens Van Der PostRead
The universe is an infinite opportunity creation machine. In every instant, the possibility of greater possibility is programmed into the nature of things. Love creates the conduit through which new possibility enters our experience, and lovelessness keeps it at bay.
Marianne WilliamsonRead
With the beginning of life, comes the thirst for truth, whereas the ability to lie is gradually acquired in the process of trying to stay alive.
Gao XingjianRead
Men, forever tempted to lift the veil of the future-with the aid of computers or horoscopes or the intestines of sacrificial animals-have a worse record to show in these sciences than in almost any scientific endeavor.
Hannah ArendtRead