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The Philosopher's Shirt

Thomas Aquinas Quote

Aquinas wrote millions of words fusing Aristotle with Christian theology, then near the end called it all straw compared to what he had glimpsed, and stopped writing.

A favorite in theology and medieval philosophy departments. Everything in one place: tees, women's tees, sweatshirts and hoodies, made to order. A medieval philosophy gift for theology students. Beware the man of a single book.

Questions about this design

What does the Thomas Aquinas Quote design show?
Thomas Aquinas in his Dominican habit, facepalming over an open copy of the Summa Theologica, next to the words I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain it to you. The joke lands because Aquinas wrote one of the longest, most patient explanations in the history of philosophy – and even he has limits.
Did Thomas Aquinas really say I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain it to you?
No. It is a modern internet put-down with no known author, and nothing like it appears in his writings. The irony is that Aquinas wrote the Summa Theologiae expressly for beginners – its prologue says a teacher of truth must instruct not only the advanced but also those just starting out.
Who was Thomas Aquinas?
An Italian Dominican friar, philosopher and theologian (c. 1225–1274), the most influential thinker of medieval scholasticism. He combined Aristotle's philosophy with Christian theology, arguing that faith and reason cannot truly contradict each other. He was canonised in 1323, named a Doctor of the Church in 1567, and his school of thought is called Thomism.
What is the Summa Theologiae?
Aquinas' masterwork, written from about 1265 until 1273 and left unfinished. It is organised in questions and articles – each raises objections, gives an authority on the other side, offers Aquinas' answer and then replies to every objection. Both Summa Theologiae and Summa Theologica are used as titles; the first is the older form.
What are Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways?
Five arguments for the existence of God in the Summa Theologiae (Part I, Question 2, Article 3) – from motion (an unmoved mover), from efficient causation (a first cause), from contingency (a necessary being), from degrees of perfection and from the order of nature (an intelligent governor). They draw heavily on Aristotle.
Why was Thomas Aquinas called the Dumb Ox?
As a student in Cologne he was large, quiet and slow to speak, so classmates nicknamed him the dumb ox. According to his early biographers, his teacher Albertus Magnus answered that one day this ox would bellow so loudly that his voice would be heard throughout the world.
Did Aquinas say that everything he wrote was like straw?
Yes, according to his early biographers. Around 6 December 1273, after an experience during Mass, he stopped writing and told his companion Reginald of Piperno that all he had written seemed like straw compared with what he had seen. He died a few months later, on 7 March 1274, leaving the Summa unfinished.
Did Thomas Aquinas say beware the man of one book?
It is attributed to him, but the line, hominem unius libri timeo, is not found in his works. It first appears in English in 1649, in Jeremy Taylor's Life of Christ. Originally it praised the formidable expert who has mastered one book; today it is usually read as a warning against people who have read only one.
Who is the Thomas Aquinas Quote design a good gift for?
For theology and medieval philosophy students, teachers and lecturers who explain the same thing every term, and anyone whose patience has a scholastic limit. It is a funny philosophy gift that insiders read on two levels. The design comes as a sweatshirt, premium hoodie, classic t-shirt, women's t-shirt, mug and sticker.