Anselm of Canterbury: “I do not…”

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Proslogion 1 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 Anselm of Canterbury

Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109) was a Benedictine theologian, prior and abbot of Bec, then archbishop of Canterbury amid investiture conflicts with English kings. Born in Aosta, he brought a rigorous “faith seeking understanding” to Latin scholastic theology.

Interpretation

Anselm's formula is not a refusal of reason but a statement of its place. He begins from commitment and uses understanding to articulate what is believed, so the relation runs belief toward understanding rather than the reverse. In the Proslogion this is the stance from which he attempts his famous argument. It is a methodological statement about order, not a claim that belief needs no grounds.

Why it matters

It describes an arrangement most inquiry actually runs on: you commit to a framework, then find out what it commits you to.

Concepts in this quote

Faith: Faith appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat faith as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
Understanding: Understanding appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat understanding as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
Inquiry: Inquiry is the disciplined pursuit of better questions and answers—philosophy as method rather than dogma.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Anselm of Canterbury. (n.d.). I do not seek to understand so that I may believe, but I believe so that I may understand. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0430

MLA: Anselm of Canterbury. “I do not seek to understand so that….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0430.

Chicago: Anselm of Canterbury. “I do not seek to understand so that….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0430.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “I do not seek to understand so that…”?

The passage is attributed to Anselm of Canterbury, Proslogion 1. The archive attributes this English wording to Proslogion 1 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 Anselm of Canterbury mean by faith?

Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Anselm of Canterbury and Averroes), faith is framed through Islamic Philosophy and Scholasticism. Some passages define faith; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through faith, understanding, inquiry.