Saint Augustine Quotes About Evil

Quotes about: Evil

• 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

  Kings, Freedom, Philosophical

• What is reprehensible is that while leading good lives themselves and abhorring those of wicked men, some, fearing to offend, shut their eyes to evil deeds instead of condemning them and pointing out their malice.

  Saint Augustine

  Christian, Good Life, Eye

  Saint Augustine (2010). “The City of God, Books I–VII (The Fathers of the Church, Volume 8)”, p.31, CUA Press

• The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.

  Saint Augustine

  Philosophical, Evil, Saint

  "Tractates on the Gospel of John" by Saint Augustine, tractate XII on John 3:6-21, § 13,

• The greatest evil is physical pain.

  Saint Augustine

  Pain, Evil, Physical Pain

  Soliloquies I.21

• God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil to exist.

  Saint Augustine

  Philosophical, Evil, Judging

  "Enchiridion" by Saint Augustine, (Ch. 27), (c. 420).

• God Almighty would in no way permit evil in His works were He not so omnipotent and good that even out of evil He could work good.

  Saint Augustine

  Evil, Way, Permit

• The sky and the earth and the waters and the things that are in them, the fishes, and the birds and the trees are not evil. All these are good; it is evil men who make this evil world.

  Saint Augustine

  Men, Sky, Evil

• He who commends the nature of the soul as the supreme good, and condemns the nature of the flesh as evil, at once both carnally desires the soul, and carnally flies the flesh, because he feels thus from human vanity, not from divine truth.

  Saint Augustine

  Vanity, Evil, Soul

• Since God is the highest good, he would not allow any evil to exist in his works unless his omnipotence and goodness were such as to bring good even out of evil.

  Saint Augustine

  Omnipotence, Evil, Goodness

• If God is, why is there evil? But if God is not, why is there good?

  Saint Augustine

  God, Evil, Good God

• Do you know who the upright of heart are? They are those who wish what God wishes. Therefore, do not try to twist God's will to you own but correct your will to that of God. The will of God is a rule of conduct. By it you have the means of being converted and of correcting your evil ways.

  Saint Augustine

  Heart, Mean, Evil

• I became evil for no reason. I had no motive for my wickedness except wickedness itself. It was foul, and I loved it. I loved the self-destruction, I loved my fall, not the object for which I had fallen but my fall itself. My depraved soul leaped down from your firmament to ruin. I was seeking not to gain anything by shameful means, but shame for its own sake.

  Saint Augustine

  Fall, Mean, Self

  Saint Augustine, Henry Chadwick (2008). “The Confessions”, p.29, Oxford Paperbacks

• Ex Malo Bounum (good out of evil).

  Saint Augustine

  Evil, Coping, Difficulty

• 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

  Passion, Opportunity, Men

• It is salutary for us to learn to hold cheap such things, be they good or evil, as attach indifferently to good men and bad, and to covet those good things which belong only to good men, and flee those evils which belong only to evil men.

  Saint Augustine

  Men, Evil, Good Man

  Saint Augustine of Hippo, Catholic Way Publishing (2015). “The City of God”, p.912, Catholic Way Publishing

• The Law is not in fault, but our evil and wicked nature; even as a heap of lime is still and quiet until water is poured on it, but then it begins to smoke and burn, not from the fault of the water, but from the nature of the lime, which will not endure it.

  Saint Augustine

  Law, Evil, Water

• There is no possible source of evil except good.

  Saint Augustine

  Philosophical, Evil, Religion

• Sin is to a nature what blindness is to an eye. The blindness of an evil or defect which is a witness to the fact that the eye was created to see the light and, hence, the very lack of sight is the proof that the eye was meant... to be the one particularly capable of seeing the light. Were it not for this capacity, there would be no reason to think of blindness as a misforture.

  Saint Augustine

  Eye, Thinking, Light

  Saint Augustine (2008). “The City of God, Books XVII–XXII (The Fathers of the Church, Volume 24)”, p.417, CUA Press

• Other sins find their vent in the accomplishment of evil deeds, whereas pride lies in wait for good deeds, to destroy them.

  Saint Augustine

  Lying, Pride, Evil

• Disturbers are to be rebuked, the low spirited to be encouraged, the infirm to be supported, objectors confuted, the treacherous guarded against, the unskilled taught, the lazy aroused, the contentious restrained, the haughty repressed, the poor relieved, the oppressed liberated, the good approved, the evil borne with, and all are to be loved!

  Saint Augustine

  Evil, Lazy, Taught

• For, were it not good that evil things should also exist, the omnipotent God would almost certainly not allow evil to be, since beyond doubt it is just as easy for Him not to allow what He does not will, as for Him to do what He will.

  Saint Augustine

  Evil, Doubt, Doe

• I too have sworn heedlessly and all the time, I have had this most repulsive and death-dealing habit. I'm telling your graces; from the moment I began to serve God , and saw what evil there is in forswearing oneself, I grew very afraid indeed, and out of fear I applied the brakes to this old, old, habit.

  Saint Augustine

  Old Habits, Evil, Grace

  Sermons 180:10:1,

• Human law cannot punish or forbid all evil, since while doing away with evils it would do away with many good things, which would hinder the advance of the common good.

  Saint Augustine

  Law, Evil, Common

• Carnal lust rules where there is no love of God.

  Saint Augustine

  Evil, Lust, God Love

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