Q0389
“Love, and do what you will.” — Augustine of Hippo (Sermons / Letters (traditional form))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Sermons / Letters (traditional form). Theme: love.
English
Love, and do what you will.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Sermons / Letters (traditional form) 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's sentence is a summary of his teaching on love rather than a quotation of a single text, and it is his most easily abused line. His point depends on a prior claim: love is a direction of the whole person, so where love is rightly ordered, the actions that follow are already governed. He is not licensing whatever one feels like — in his usage love has an object and an order, and most of his ethical writing is about correcting the order. Read without that framework the sentence means the opposite of what he meant.
Why it matters
The useful reading is diagnostic: look at what your actions are already serving. On this account conduct is not the puzzle; what you love is.
Concepts in this quote
- Love
- Love in philosophy ranges from friendship and desire to care, justice, and the transformation of the self.
- Freedom
- Freedom is among the most searched and most contested themes in philosophy: what it is to choose, to be responsible, and to live without illegitimate constraint.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Augustine of Hippo. (n.d.). Love, and do what you will. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0389
MLA: Augustine of Hippo. “Love, and do what you will..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0389.
Chicago: Augustine of Hippo. “Love, and do what you will..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0389.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Love, and do what you will.”?
The passage is attributed to Augustine of Hippo, Sermons / Letters (traditional form). The archive attributes this English wording to Sermons / Letters (traditional form) 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 love?
Greek distinctions among eros, philia, and agape, Confucian relational ethics, and modern debates about romantic love keep the theme philosophically precise rather than merely sentimental. This passage enters that discussion through love, freedom.