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THE WISDOM GARDEN · TRADITION · WISDOM OF THE EARLY CHURCH

The Fathers

“That good thing which was committed unto thee keep.” — 2 Timothy 1:14 · KJV

VOICES THAT SHAPED OUR FAITH

The Fathers and Mothers of the Faith

Fifty-eight voices across two thousand years. Tap any name to hear their words.

Every quotation preserved in full · every era intact · every source cited

Augustine of Hippo 4th century  ·  AD 354–430 7 sayings
  1. “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds rest in thee.”

    Confessions · longing

  2. “Love, and do what thou wilt.”

    Homily on 1 John · love

  3. “Late have I loved thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new.”

    Confessions · longing

  4. “He who sings prays twice.”

    Enarrationes in Psalmos · worship

  5. “The Church is the world reconciled.”

    Sermons · Church

  6. “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”

    attributed · prayer

  7. “Peace is the tranquility of order.”

    City of God · peace

John Chrysostom 4th century  ·  AD 347–407 5 sayings
  1. “Glory to God for all things.”

    last words · thanksgiving

  2. “Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry.”

    Homilies on Matthew · prayer

  3. “The bee is more honored than other animals not because she labors, but because she labors for others.”

    Homily on John · service

  4. “Make of thy home a Church.”

    Homilies on Ephesians · family

  5. “Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has, requiring an attitude of gratitude.”

    Homilies · joy

Thomas Aquinas 13th century  ·  AD 1225–1274 4 sayings
  1. “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

    attributed · faith

  2. “All that I have written seems to me like straw compared to what has been revealed to me.”

    after his vision, 1273 · humility

  3. “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”

    Summa Theologiae · friendship

  4. “The things that we love tell us what we are.”

    Summa Theologiae · love

Athanasius of Alexandria 3rd century  ·  AD 296–373 3 sayings
  1. “He was made man that we might be made God.”

    On the Incarnation · Incarnation

  2. “You will not see anyone who is really striving after his advancement who is not given to spiritual reading.”

    Letters · Scripture

  3. “The Word disguised himself by appearing in a body, that He might, as Man, transfer men to Himself.”

    On the Incarnation · Incarnation

Basil the Great 4th century  ·  AD 329–379 3 sayings
  1. “The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry.”

    Homily on Riches · justice

  2. “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds.”

    Sermons · holiness

  3. “Through the Spirit we acquire a likeness to God.”

    On the Holy Spirit · sanctification

Gregory of Nazianzus 4th century  ·  AD 329–390 2 sayings
  1. “What has not been assumed has not been healed.”

    Letter to Cledonius · Incarnation

  2. “To make the soul like its Maker — this is the goal of all religion.”

    Oration · sanctification

Gregory of Nyssa 4th century  ·  AD 335–395 2 sayings
  1. “Concepts create idols; only wonder grasps anything.”

    Life of Moses · wonder

  2. “He who has the power of dispensing the good gifts of God is judged most worthy of God's gifts.”

    Sermons · stewardship

Cyril of Jerusalem 4th century  ·  AD 313–386 2 sayings
  1. “The dragon sits by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you.”

    Catechetical Lectures · vigilance

  2. “Have I sinned? Confess it.”

    Catechetical Lectures · repentance

Cyril of Alexandria 4th century  ·  AD 376–444 1 saying
  1. “Christ took on what is ours that we might be sharers in what is His.”

    On the Unity of Christ · Incarnation

Jerome 4th century  ·  AD 347–420 2 sayings
  1. “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

    Commentary on Isaiah · Scripture

  2. “The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning, and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever touching the bottom.”

    attributed · Scripture

Ambrose of Milan 4th century  ·  AD 340–397 2 sayings
  1. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

    Letter 36 (paraphrase) · wisdom

  2. “No one heals himself by wounding another.”

    Sermons · mercy

Bede the Venerable 7th century  ·  AD 672–735 2 sayings
  1. “It is better to be silent and be a Christian, than to talk and not be one.”

    after Ignatius · silence

  2. “O Lord, send forth thy light and thy truth.”

    Death-bed prayer · prayer

Ignatius of Antioch 2nd century  ·  AD 35–108 1 saying
  1. “I am the wheat of God, and I am ground by the teeth of beasts that I may be found pure bread of Christ.”

    Letter to the Romans · martyrdom

Polycarp of Smyrna 2nd century  ·  AD 69–155 1 saying
  1. “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King, who hath saved me?”

    Martyrdom of Polycarp · faithfulness

Clement of Rome d. AD 99  ·  d. AD 99 1 saying
  1. “Let us cleave to those who cultivate peace.”

    Letter to the Corinthians · peace

Justin Martyr 2nd century  ·  AD 100–165 1 saying
  1. “Whatever has been spoken aright by any belongs to us Christians.”

    Second Apology · truth

Irenaeus of Lyons 2nd century  ·  AD 130–202 2 sayings
  1. “The glory of God is a living man.”

    Against Heresies · life

  2. “He became what we are that He might make us what He is.”

    Against Heresies · Incarnation

Tertullian 2nd century  ·  AD 155–220 1 saying
  1. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

    Apologeticus · martyrdom

Origen of Alexandria 2nd century  ·  AD 184–253 1 saying
  1. “The soul is made for God, and never rests until it rests in Him.”

    Homilies on Numbers · longing

Maximus the Confessor 6th century  ·  AD 580–662 1 saying
  1. “He who knows the mystery of the cross and the tomb knows the reasons of all things.”

    Centuries on Theology · cross

John of Damascus 7th century  ·  AD 675–749 1 saying
  1. “The Word became flesh — and the icon was inevitable.”

    On the Divine Images · icon

Symeon the New Theologian 10th century  ·  AD 949–1022 1 saying
  1. “My eyes have seen Him as light.”

    Hymns of Divine Love · light

Bernard of Clairvaux 11th century  ·  AD 1090–1153 2 sayings
  1. “Jesus, the very thought of thee, with sweetness fills the breast.”

    Hymn · adoration

  2. “You will find something more in woods than in books.”

    Letters · wonder

Francis of Assisi 12th century  ·  AD 1181–1226 2 sayings
  1. “Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.”

    attributed · witness

  2. “Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”

    Peace Prayer · peace

Catherine of Siena 14th century  ·  AD 1347–1380 2 sayings
  1. “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

    attributed · calling

  2. “All the way to heaven is heaven.”

    Letters · pilgrimage

Hildegard of Bingen 11th century  ·  AD 1098–1179 2 sayings
  1. “There is a music of Heaven in all things.”

    Scivias · music

  2. “Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of earth's greenings.”

    Letters · creation

Julian of Norwich 14th century  ·  AD 1342–1416 2 sayings
  1. “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

    Revelations of Divine Love · comfort

  2. “The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.”

    Revelations of Divine Love · joy

Thomas à Kempis 14th century  ·  AD 1380–1471 2 sayings
  1. “At the day of judgment we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done.”

    The Imitation of Christ · obedience

  2. “It is better to feel contrition than to define it.”

    The Imitation of Christ · humility

Teresa of Ávila 16th century  ·  AD 1515–1582 2 sayings
  1. “Let nothing disturb thee; nothing affright thee.”

    Bookmark prayer · comfort

  2. “Christ has no body now but yours.”

    attributed · service

John of the Cross 16th century  ·  AD 1542–1591 1 saying
  1. “In the evening of life, we shall be judged on love alone.”

    Sayings of Light and Love · love

Brother Lawrence 17th century  ·  AD 1614–1691 1 saying
  1. “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer.”

    The Practice of the Presence of God · presence

Blaise Pascal 17th century  ·  AD 1623–1662 2 sayings
  1. “The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.”

    Pensées · faith

  2. “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

    Pensées · silence

Jeanne Guyon 17th century  ·  AD 1648–1717 1 saying
  1. “Sing with the spirit, and with the understanding also.”

    Letters · worship

John Bunyan 17th century  ·  AD 1628–1688 2 sayings
  1. “He that is down need fear no fall.”

    Pilgrim's Progress · humility

  2. “My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage.”

    Pilgrim's Progress · pilgrimage

Jonathan Edwards 18th century  ·  AD 1703–1758 1 saying
  1. “Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.”

    Resolutions · time

John Wesley 18th century  ·  AD 1703–1791 2 sayings
  1. “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can.”

    Sermons · service

  2. “My heart was strangely warmed.”

    Journal, May 24 1738 · conversion

Charles Spurgeon 19th century  ·  AD 1834–1892 2 sayings
  1. “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who is not.”

    attributed · Scripture

  2. “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.”

    sermon · wisdom

Hudson Taylor 19th century  ·  AD 1832–1905 1 saying
  1. “There are three stages in every great work of God: first impossible, then difficult, then done.”

    attributed · calling

George MacDonald 19th century  ·  AD 1824–1905 2 sayings
  1. “To obey is the highest reach of human grandeur.”

    Unspoken Sermons · obedience

  2. “It is by loving and being loved that one can come nearest the soul of another.”

    Sir Gibbie · love

Søren Kierkegaard 19th century  ·  AD 1813–1855 2 sayings
  1. “Purity of heart is to will one thing.”

    Upbuilding Discourses · holiness

  2. “Faith sees best in the dark.”

    Journals · faith

Thérèse of Lisieux 19th century  ·  AD 1873–1897 2 sayings
  1. “My vocation is love.”

    Story of a Soul · love

  2. “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice.”

    Story of a Soul · sacrifice

G.K. Chesterton 19th century  ·  AD 1874–1936 2 sayings
  1. “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”

    What's Wrong with the World · discipleship

  2. “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.”

    Orthodoxy · humility

C.S. Lewis 19th century  ·  AD 1898–1963 3 sayings
  1. “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.”

    Mere Christianity · heaven

  2. “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

    Letters · hope

  3. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”

    Mere Christianity · humility

Dietrich Bonhoeffer 20th century  ·  AD 1906–1945 2 sayings
  1. “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

    The Cost of Discipleship · discipleship

  2. “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.”

    Letters · courage

A.W. Tozer 19th century  ·  AD 1897–1963 2 sayings
  1. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

    The Knowledge of the Holy · God

  2. “To say He is — is to say nothing; to say He is good is to say something.”

    The Pursuit of God · God

Oswald Chambers 19th century  ·  AD 1874–1917 1 saying
  1. “Trust God and do the next thing.”

    My Utmost for His Highest · trust

Watchman Nee 20th century  ·  AD 1903–1972 1 saying
  1. “Sit, walk, stand.”

    Sit, Walk, Stand · identity

Andrew Murray 19th century  ·  AD 1828–1917 1 saying
  1. “Humility is the soul of true prayer.”

    Humility · prayer

Charles Studd 19th century  ·  AD 1860–1931 1 saying
  1. “Only one life, twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last.”

    Poem · calling

Amy Carmichael 19th century  ·  AD 1867–1951 1 saying
  1. “In acceptance lieth peace.”

    His Thoughts Said · peace

Corrie ten Boom 19th century  ·  AD 1892–1983 1 saying
  1. “There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.”

    The Hiding Place · comfort

Mother Teresa 20th century  ·  AD 1910–1997 1 saying
  1. “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

    attributed · love

Pope John Paul II 20th century  ·  AD 1920–2005 1 saying
  1. “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”

    homily · hope

Pope Benedict XVI 20th century  ·  AD 1927–2022 1 saying
  1. “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”

    address to youth · calling

N.T. Wright 20th century  ·  AD 1948– 1 saying
  1. “Worship is what we were made for.”

    Simply Christian · worship

Henri Nouwen 20th century  ·  AD 1932–1996 2 sayings
  1. “You are the beloved of God.”

    Life of the Beloved · identity

  2. “Solitude is the furnace of transformation.”

    The Way of the Heart · silence

John Stott 20th century  ·  AD 1921–2011 1 saying
  1. “There can be no compromise between the truth as it is in Jesus and the falsehood as it is in the world.”

    Basic Christianity · truth

Lesslie Newbigin 20th century  ·  AD 1909–1998 1 saying
  1. “The gospel is public truth.”

    The Gospel in a Pluralist Society · truth

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