Q0183
“Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it” — Thomas Aquinas
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Summa Theologiae I, q.1, a.8 ad 2. Theme: nature.
English
Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Summa Theologiae I, q.1, a.8 ad 2 and files it under Scholasticism. 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 Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) was the Dominican scholastic who synthesized Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology in the Summa Theologiae and Summa contra Gentiles. Educated at Naples, Paris, and Cologne under Albert the Great, he taught in Paris and Italian studia.
Interpretation
Aquinas is answering an objection that grace overrides or cancels human nature. His position is that grace presupposes nature: what is perfected must continue to exist and act, otherwise the word is being used loosely. The formula does real work in his system — it lets him hold that human capacities are genuinely damaged by sin without concluding they are destroyed, which is why moral effort and education still matter theologically.
Why it matters
It is also a constraint on any reform programme: if you want to change people, build on what they already are rather than treating their existing motives as obstacles to be replaced. Programs that assume the opposite tend to produce compliance, not change.
Concepts in this quote
- Nature
- Philosophy quotes about nature ask what the cosmos is, how humans belong in it, and whether “natural” can guide ethics or politics.
- Reason
- Reason is the capacity to give and assess reasons—central to logic, science, ethics, and public argument.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Thomas Aquinas. (n.d.). Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0183
MLA: Thomas Aquinas. “Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0183.
Chicago: Thomas Aquinas. “Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0183.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it.”?
The passage is attributed to Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I, q.1, a.8 ad 2. The archive attributes this English wording to Summa Theologiae I, q.1, a.8 ad 2 and files it under Scholasticism. 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 Thomas Aquinas mean by nature?
Nature may mean physical cosmos, living world, human nature, or a normative standard of what ought to be. Presocratics, Daoists, Stoics, and modern environmental thinkers share the word while disagreeing about its force. This passage enters that discussion through nature, reason.