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Beauty is indeed a good gift of God; but that the good may not think it a great good, God dispenses it even to the wicked.
Saint Augustine
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Beauty is a divine gift that is given to everyone, including those who may not deserve it.

In this quote, Saint Augustine reflects on the nature of beauty as a gift from God. He suggests that beauty, while good and desirable, is not exclusively reserved for the virtuous; instead, it is distributed even to the wicked. This notion prompts deeper philosophical considerations about the nature of goodness, merit, and the relationship between aesthetic value and moral character.

Themes

BeautyGiftGodWickedGoodness

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the nature of beauty in a philosophy class.

More from Saint Augustine

The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass.
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There is no health in those who are displeased by an element in Your creation, just as there was none in me when I was displeased by many things You had made. Because my soul didn't dare to say that my God displeased me, it refused to attribute to You whatever was displeasing.
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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.
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Who can map out the various forces at play in one soul? Man is a great depth, O Lord. The hairs of his head are easier by far to count than his feeling, the movements of his heart.
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Whatever skills I have acquired, whatever gifts I have been given, I place them at Your service.
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Everyone who observes himself doubting observes a truth, and about that which he observes he is certain; therefore he is certain about a truth. Everyone therefore who doubts whether truth exists has in himself a truth on which not to doubt.... Hence one who can doubt at all ought not to doubt the existence of truth.
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