Q0047
“Give what you command, and command what you will.” — Augustine of Hippo (X.31 / Confessions X.29 / X.31)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: X.31 / Confessions X.29 / X.31. Theme: philosophy.
English
Give what you command, and command what you will.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to X.31 / Confessions X.29 / X.31 and files it under Patristic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) was the North African bishop and theologian who shaped Latin Christianity’s doctrines of grace, sin, and the two cities. A former Manichaean and rhetor, he converted under Ambrose’s influence at Milan and narrated his restless heart in the Confessions.
Interpretation
Augustine is praying, and the sentence states the problem his doctrine of grace is meant to solve. If God commands what we cannot do, the command would be pointless; so grace must supply the capacity as well as the requirement. The formulation is compact enough to be a rule of prayer: asking for the thing commanded is the acknowledgment that it is not already available. It also removes the ground for boasting about having obeyed.
Why it matters
Secularised, it is a way to state a requirement honestly: admitting that what is being asked of you is not within your present reach is the beginning of getting there.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Augustine of Hippo. (n.d.). Give what you command, and command what you will. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0047
MLA: Augustine of Hippo. “Give what you command, and command what you….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0047.
Chicago: Augustine of Hippo. “Give what you command, and command what you….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0047.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Give what you command, and command what you…”?
The passage is attributed to Augustine of Hippo, X.31 / Confessions X.29 / X.31. The archive attributes this English wording to X.31 / Confessions X.29 / X.31 and files it under Patristic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Augustine of Hippo mean by philosophy?
This passage is indexed under . Those labels identify the concepts it can illuminate; they do not replace the argument surrounding it in X.31 / Confessions X.29 / X.31.