Thomas Aquinas: A Life from Beginning to End

by Hourly History

“One will observe that all things are arranged according to their degrees of beauty and excellence, and that the nearer they are to God, the more beautiful and better they are.” —Thomas Aquinas

Although Thomas Aquinas studied under the auspices of great teachers at the University of Naples, he was apparently surrounded by all manner of vice. He would later describe that it was “a very paradise of God, but inhabited by demons.”

“The things that we love tell us what we are.” —Thomas Aquinas

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” —Thomas Aquinas

“Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.” —Thomas Aquinas

leaving Aquinas in great company with such epic writers as Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose.

Perhaps the greatest legacy of Thomas Aquinas was his inquisitive mind. He dared to make inquiries into matters that most of his contemporaries never dreamed of questioning.

“The end of my labours has come. All that I have written appears to be as so much straw after the things that have been revealed to me.”