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It is necessary to posit something which is necessary of itself, and has no cause of its necessity outside of itself but is the cause of necessity in other things. And all people call this thing God.

Thomas Aquinas

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Thomas Aquinas
Age: 49 †
Born: 1225
Born: February 1
Died: 1274
Died: March 14
Dominican Friar
Philosopher
Priest
Professor
Roman Catholic Priest
Theologian
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Saint Thomas
Tommaso d'Aquino
Thomas of Aquino
St Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas
People
Necessary
Outside
Cause
Causes
Call
Thing
Something
Posit
Things
Necessity

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By the divine providence [animals] are intended for man's use... Hence it is not wrong for man to make use of them, either by killing or in any other way whatsoever.
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Man is closer to God according to his existence in grace than he is according to his existence in nature.
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Faith will tell us Christ is present, When our human senses fail.
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The existence of a prime mover- nothing can move itself there must be a first mover. The first mover is called God.
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Perfection of moral virtue does not wholly take away the passions, but regulates them.
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Now it seems that everything in the world stems from sources other than God, since the products of nature have their source in nature deliberate effects can be traced back to human reason or will as their source. There is no need then to assume that God exists.
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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.
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We set forth our petitions before God, not in order to make known to Him our needs and desires, but rather so that we ourselves may realize that in these things it is necessary to turn to God for help.
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Even as in the blessed in heaven there will be most perfect charity, so in the damned there will be the most perfect hate. Wherefore as the saints will rejoice in all goods, so will the damned grieve for all goods. Consequently the sight of the happiness of the saints will give them very great pain.
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All my words are but chaff next to the faith of a simple man.
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Beware the man of a single book.
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To love God is something greater than to know Him.
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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.
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It is a sin to regard the fact that God cannot do the impossible as a limitation on his powers.
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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.
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God should not be called an individual substance, since the principle of individuation is matter.
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The perfection of the effect demonstrates the perfection of the cause, for a greater power brings about a more perfect effect. But God is the most perfect agent. Therefore, things created by Him obtain perfection from Him. So, to detract from the perfection of creatures is to detract from the perfection of divine power.
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Human salvation demands the divine disclosure of truths surpassing reason.
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Not everyone who is enlightened by an angel knows that he is enlightened by him.
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