The emperor is in the Church, not above the Church.
Interpretation
The authority of the Emperor is subordinate to the moral and spiritual authority of the Church.
This quote emphasizes the idea that secular authority should be guided by spiritual and moral principles. Saint Ambrose implies that no matter how powerful an emperor may be, their rule is ultimately constrained by the values and teachings of the Church, suggesting a balance between state and religion.
In practice
During a speech about the importance of ethics in leadership.
A good youth ought to have a fear of God, to be subject to his parents, to give honor to his elders, to preserve his purity; he ought not to despise humility, but should love forbearance and modesty. All these are an ornament to youthful years.
Where a man's heart is, there is his treasure also.
A kindness received should be returned with a freer hand.
Take away the contests of the martyrs, and you have taken away their crowns.
It is ingrained in all living creatures, first of all, to preserve their own safety, to guard against what is harmful, to strive for what is advantageous.
The best way to use the gold of the Redeemer is for the redemption of those in peril.
I'm one of those introverted people who simply feels a lot better after spending time alone thinking through ideas and emotions. This is a sign, I've come to think, of a kind of emotional disturbance - a reaction to inner fragility. I wish I were more able to just act and do, rather than constantly have to retreat and examine and think.
As the least drop of wine tinges the whole goblet, so the least particle of truth colors our whole life.
The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing...is a vice so mean and low, without any temptation, that every man of sense and character detests and despises it.
The evils of the body are murder, theft, and adultery; of the tongue, lying, slander, abuse and idle talk; of the mind, covetousness, hatred and error.
The political currents that topped the global agenda in the late 20th century - revolutionary nationalism, feminism and ethnic struggle - place culture at their heart.
What is admirable about the fantastic is that there is no longer anything fantastic: there is only the real.
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