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Quotes of the Day for 13 November 2003 - Augustine

Augustine was born at Tagaste in Roman north Africa on this day in 354 into a middle-class family. His mother Monica was a devout Christian, his father was pagan during Augustine's youth. Educated with anticipation of a legal career at Carthage, he turned to dissipation and drifted away from his mother's teaching. Later he was taken up with the Manichaen heresies for a period of ten years, but returned to Christianity as a powerful teacher and philosopher at Rome and then Milan. Fearing additional responsibilities he avoided cities without bishops, but while visiting a friend at Hippo-Regius in 391 a crowd gathered and insisted that he be ordained a priest, he was soon consecrated as coadjutor bishop and finally Bishop of Hippo in 396. His massive written output has had a profound influence on the Church, here's a sample.

A thing is not necessarily true because badly uttered, nor false because spoken magnificently.

Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times.

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.

Love has reasons that reason knows not.

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.

Give me chastity and continence, but not quite yet.
     - All from Saint Augustine, 354 - 430

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