As the school year begins again, it can be easy to get caught up in the busyness of class schedules and assignments, to become overwhelmed by the workloads that we face. But whether you’re a teacher or a student, education provides opportunities to glorify God and draw nearer to him.
This fall, we invite you to look to the saints for guidance and inspiration about education – discover 10 saint quotes from St. Thomas More, St. Augustine, and others about the pursuit of learning, teaching, and study.
Remembering that God Grants Wisdom
“Do you desire to study to your advantage? Let devotion accompany all your studies, and study less to make yourself learned than to become a saint. Consult God more than your books, and ask him, with humility, to make you understand what you read.”
— St. Vincent Ferrer
On the Nobility of Teaching
“What is nobler than to rule minds or to mold the character of the young? I consider that he who knows how to form the youthful mind is truly greater than all the painters, sculptors, and all others of that sort.” — St. John Chrysostom
On Education and Holiness
“I would rather have learning joined with virtue than all the treasures of kings.”
— St. Thomas More
On Cultivating the Mind
“Untilled ground, however rich, will bring forth thistles and thorns; so also the mind of man.” — St. Teresa of Avila
“The soul grows by learning.” — St. Augustine
On Seeking Truth
“If you desire to know… ask grace, not instruction: desire, not understanding; the groaning of prayer, not diligent reading… God, not man.” — St. Bonaventure
“When you seek truth, you seek God whether you know it or not.” — St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
On Glorifying God
“Whenever you begin any good work you should first of all make a most pressing appeal to Christ our Lord to bring it to perfection.” — St. Benedict
On Serving God Through Study
“If you are to serve God with your mind, to study is a grave obligation for you.”
— St. Josemaria Escriva
“Some seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge: that is curiosity. Others seek knowledge that they themselves be known: that is vanity. But there are still others who seek knowledge in order to serve and edify others, and that is charity.” — St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Sources:
A Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints, Paul Thigpen.
“On St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the Last of the Fathers,” EWTN.
“Saint Benedict,” EWTN.
St. Augustine: The Greatness of the Soul and The Teacher, Joseph M. Colleran.
“St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein),” Carmelites of Boston.
The Way, St. Josemaria Escriva.