Saint Augustine is a renowned philosopher famous for his writings that influenced the development of Western philosophy and Christianity. His works especially ‘Confessions’ and ‘The City of God’ offer profound insights into topics like the human soul, faith, humility, and the quest for truth. Here is a list of the best Saint Augustine quotes that will change your perspective on life and will help you reach your full potential.
Saint Augustine, also known as Augustine of Hippo, was a Christian theologian, philosopher, and bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa.
Known for his profound wisdom and revelations of truth, the legendary theologian’s writings are filled with thoughts about spirituality and deep thinking.
His transformation served as a powerful inspiration for many. He shared the story of his own life in his book “Confessions” which is seen as one of the first autobiographical works in Western literature.
In this book, he shares his journey from a young life filled with worldly pleasures to his deep change when he became a Christian.
Following his conversion, Augustine believed that the true philosopher is a lover of God because true wisdom lies in the pursuit of knowledge of God.
Whether you are a devoted follower of Christianity or a seeker of truth, these words of wisdom will help you reflect on your life, values, and beliefs.
These inspirational Saint Augustine quotes about life, love, hope, beauty, wisdom, and suffering will open your mind to new possibilities and encourage you to live a more meaningful life.
Top 10 Saint Augustine Quotes
- “The purpose of all wars, is peace.” — Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine Quotes - “Patience is the companion of wisdom.” — Saint Augustine
Quotes From Saint Augustine - “Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.” — Saint Augustine
St. Augustine Quotes - “Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity.” — Saint Augustine
Quotes By Saint Augustine - “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” — Saint Augustine
Quotation Of St. Augustine - “This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.” — Saint Augustine
Augustine Of Hippo Quotes - “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” — Saint Augustine
- “Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.” — Saint Augustine
- “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” — Saint Augustine
- “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” — Saint Augustine
Quotes By Saint Augustine On Faith & God
- “To sing is to pray twice.” — Saint Augustine
- “God is best known in not knowing him.” — Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine Famous Quotes - “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” — Saint Augustine
Best Saint Augustine Quotes - “There is a God-shaped vacuum in every man that only Christ can fill.” — Saint Augustine
- “In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?” — Saint Augustine
- “Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.” — Saint Augustine
- “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” — Saint Augustine
- “By faithfulness, we are collected and wound up into unity within ourselves, whereas we had been scattered abroad in multiplicity.” — Saint Augustine
- “The desire is thy prayers; and if thy desire is without ceasing, thy prayer will also be without ceasing. The continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer.” — Saint Augustine
- “Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.” — Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine Quotes On Love
- “He that is jealous is not in love.” — Saint Augustine
- “Love is ever new because it never groweth old.” — Saint Augustine
- “The measure of love is to love without measure.” — Saint Augustine
- “Every where the greater joy is ushered in by the greater pain.” — Saint Augustine
- “Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.” — Saint Augustine
- “The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.” — St. Augustine
- “In order to discover the character of people we have only to observe what they love.” — St. Augustine
- “I did not yet love, and I loved to love; I sought what I might love, in love with loving.” — Saint Augustine
- “Let him love to find You while not finding it out, rather than, while finding it out, not to find You.” — St. Augustine
- “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” — Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine Quotes On Life & Death
- “The greatest evil is physical pain.” — Saint Augustine
- “Punishment is justice for the unjust.” — Saint Augustine
- “To seek the highest good is to live well.” — Saint Augustine
- “Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.” — Saint Augustine
- “Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.” — Saint Augustine
- “If we live good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times.” — Saint Augustine
- “What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.” — Saint Augustine
- “Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.” — Saint Augustine
- “Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” — Saint Augustine
- “Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.” — Saint Augustine
Famous Saint Augustine Quotes
- “Will is to grace as the horse is to the rider.” — Saint Augustine
- “If we did not have rational souls, we would not be able to believe.” — Saint Augustine
- “Grant what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt.” — Saint Augustine
- “No eulogy is due to him who simply does his duty and nothing more.” — Saint Augustine
- “The good man, though a slave, is free; the wicked, though he reigns, is a slave.” — St. Augustine
- “Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.” — Saint Augustine
- “Thou must be emptied of that wherewith thou art full, that thou mayest be filled with that whereof thou art empty.” — Saint Augustine
- “Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.” — Saint Augustine
- “Passion is the evil in adultery. If a man has no opportunity of living with another man’s wife, but if it is obvious for some reason that he would like to do so, and would do so if he could, he is no less guilty than if he was caught in the act.” — Saint Augustine
- “My mind withdrew its thoughts from experience, extracting itself from the contradictory throng of sensuous images, that it might find out what that light was wherein it was bathed… And thus, with the flash of one hurried glance, it attained to the vision of That Which Is.” — Saint Augustine
Memorable Quotes From Saint Augustine
- “God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.” — Saint Augustine
- “We cannot pass our guardian angel’s bounds, resigned or sullen, he will hear our sighs.” — Saint Augustine
- “He that is kind is free, though he is a slave; he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king.” — Saint Augustine
- “A person can do other things against his will, but belief is possible only in one who is willing.” — St. Augustine
- “A thing is not necessarily true because badly uttered, nor false because spoken magnificently.” — Saint Augustine
- “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” — Saint Augustine
- “Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” — Saint Augustine
- “If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” — Saint Augustine
- “Beauty is indeed a good gift of God; but that the good may not think it a great good, God dispenses it even to the wicked.” — Saint Augustine
- “If two friends ask you to judge a dispute, don’t accept, because you will lose one friend; on the other hand, if two strangers come with the same request, accept because you will gain one friend.” — Saint Augustine
More Saint Augustine Quotes
- “The words printed here are concepts. You must go through the experiences.” — Saint Augustine
- “Because God has made us for Himself, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.” — Saint Augustine
- “Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.” — Saint Augustine
- “Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible.” — Saint Augustine
- “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” — Saint Augustine
- “Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.” — Saint Augustine
- “Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation.” — Saint Augustine
More About Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine is regarded as one of the most influential Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period.
He is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Lutheran churches, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church and the patron of the Augustinians.
His transformation from a life filled with wild parties, entertainment, and worldly ambitions to becoming a genuinely virtuous individual served as a source of inspiration for many.
Some of his famous works along with Confessions and The City Of God include On the Trinity, On Christian Doctrine, On Free Choice Of The Will, Against the Academicians, and Letters of Saint Augustine.
Augustine is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, and several cities and dioceses. His memorial is celebrated on 28 August, the day of his death.
These famous quotes by Saint Augustine unravel the complexities of human existence, the nature of God, and how faith and reason work together.
Conclusion
What are your favorite Saint Augustine quotes and sayings listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
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