A man may lose the good things of this life against his will; but if he loses the eternal blessings, he does so with his own consent.

Ex Malo Bounum (good out of evil).

Justice being taken away, then, what are kingdoms but great robberies? For what are robberies themselves, but little kingdoms.

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.

In no passage of the holy canonical books there can be found either divine precept or permission to take away our own life, whether for the sake of entering on the enjoyment of immortality, or of shunning, or ridding ourselves of anything whatever. Nay, the law, rightly interpreted, even prohibits suicide, where it says, 'Thou shalt not kill.' This is proved especially by the omission of the words "thy neighbor," which are inserted when false witness is forbidden.

The people who remained victorious were less like conquerors than conquered.

Every city is a living body.