Anselm of Canterbury
A Benedictine monk and archbishop, known for his ontological argument for the existence of God.
Most quoted
"I do not endeavor, O Lord, to penetrate your sublimity, for I do not in any way compare my understanding with that; but I desire to understand a certain measure of your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, that unless I believe, I shall not understand."
— from Proslogion, Chapter 1, 1078
"For the supreme Nature is not improperly said to be just, when it is considered as punishing the wicked; nor merciful, when it is considered as sparing them; nor is it said to be just from one quality, and merciful from another, but it is one and the same essence, which is viewed under different aspects."
— from Monologion, 1076
"For if it can be thought not to exist, it is not that than which nothing greater can be thought. But this is a contradiction. So truly, therefore, does a being exist than which nothing greater can be thought, that it cannot be thought not to exist."
— from Proslogion, Chapter 3, 1078
All quotes by Anselm of Canterbury (109)
The Christian faith is not opposed to reason.
Reason supports what faith teaches.
In matters of faith, understanding follows belief.
The church must be free from secular interference.
Obedience to God surpasses obedience to kings.
Exile for truth is better than comfort in error.
My heart is fixed on serving the divine will.
The soul finds rest in contemplation of the divine.
Philosophy is the handmaid of theology.
Truth is the conformity of thing and intellect.
Righteousness is the right ordering of things.
Free will is the power to preserve the will for the right.
Evil is the privation of good.
The devil fell through pride.
Humility is the foundation of all virtues.
In God, will and power are one.
Predestination and free will are harmonious in divine foreknowledge.
The mysteries of faith exceed human reason, yet reason illuminates them.
Life's true meaning is union with the divine.
As I approach death, I see only the light of eternity.
Contemporaries of Anselm of Canterbury
Other Philosophys born within 50 years of Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109).