Augustine of Hippo Quotes on Truth
Augustine's lifelong search for truth shaped both his philosophy and his theology, and the quotes gathered here trace its main lines. In a celebrated counsel he directs the seeker inward, do not go outside yourself, return to yourself, for truth dwells in the interiority of man, and, finding even the inner self changeable, urges transcendence toward what is unchanging. That unchanging truth Augustine ultimately identifies with God: if there is something more excellent than the truth, then that is God; if not, then truth itself is God. He holds that faith and understanding work together, faith believing what it does not yet see in order one day to see what it believes. He also cautions that truth is independent of eloquence, since a claim is not made true by being well uttered nor false by being badly spoken.
Quotes
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Attributed to Augustine of Hippo:
“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”
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Attributed to Augustine of Hippo:
“Hear the other side.”
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“Do not go outside yourself, return to yourself: truth dwells in the interiority of man and, if you find that your nature is changeable, transcend yourself too . As quoted in De vera religione , XXXIX, 72”
Noli foras ire, in teipsum redi, in interiore homine habitat veritas. Et si tuam naturam mutabilem inveneris, trascende et teipsum . -
“The Heavenly City outshines Rome, beyond comparison. There, instead of victory, is truth; instead of high rank, holiness; instead of peace, felicity; instead of life, eternity.”
The City of God(early 400s) | Book II, Chapter 29 -
“The inclination to seek the truth is safer than the presumption which regards unknown things as known.”
On the Trinity(417) | (Cambridge: 2002), Book 9, Chapter 1, p. 24 -
“The true servants of God are not solicitous that He should order them to do what they desire to do, but that they may desire to do what He orders them to do.”
Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers(1895) | p. 616 -
“If there is something more excellent than the truth , then that is God ; if not, then truth itself is God.”
De Libero Arbitrio(388 - 395) -
“Hence, a devout Christian must avoid astrologers and all impious soothsayers, especially when they tell the truth, for fear of leading his soul into error by consorting with demons and entangling himself with the bonds of such association.”
De Genesi ad Litteram | Modern translation by J.H. Taylor in Ancient Christian Writers (1982) -
“Variation on the middle sentence: A thing is not necessarily true because badly uttered, nor false because spoken magnificently.”
Confessions(c. 397) -
“Variation on the middle sentence: A thing is not necessarily false because it is badly expressed, nor true because it is expressed magnificently.”
Confessions(c. 397)