All Series > Well-Ordered Soul > Part 5
11 Primary Passions
(Series 2, Part 5, Teaching #13)
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11 Primary Passions
There are eleven primary passions. Five arise in the face of difficulties and trials. Six arise in the face of desires and temptations.
The passions in the face of difficulties and trials are hope, despair, daring, fear, and anger. When you pursue something good that is difficult to attain, you feel either hope or despair—hope if you believe you can attain it, despair if you don’t. As obstacles arise, you are met with daring if you believe you can overcome them, or fear if you don’t. If the good is ultimately reached, your soul rests in peace; if it slips away, you feel anger—not the sinful vice, but the rightful discontent that something good was lost or something evil was allowed to persist.
The passions in the face of desires and temptations are love, hatred, desire, aversion, joy, and sadness. When something presents itself as good, you feel love—a natural pull toward what seems fitting. If something appears evil, you feel hatred—a repulsion, a rejection of what does not belong. Then comes desire—the motion toward what you love, and aversion—the motion away from what you hate. If the good is attained, you experience joy. If it is lost or denied, you experience sadness.
Each of these passions is a gift—but only if it is well-ordered. Disordered passions confuse evil for good and chase after shadows. Well-ordered passions chase the light. Disordered passions resist what is truly good and cling to comfort or pleasure. Well-ordered passions run toward truth, no matter the cost.
It has been said, “A man who governs his passions is master of his world. We must either command them or be enslaved by them. It is better to be a hammer than an anvil” (St. Dominic). And so it is with you—you were made to be a master of your inner life, not a slave to it. Let your passions serve your higher purpose. Teach them the way of virtue. Train them by grace. Guide them with reason. And above all, submit them to God.
We’ll explore each of these passions in greater depth ahead. But for now, remember: your passions are not the problem—your order is. Bring order to the soul, and you will bring strength and fulfillment to your life.
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Resources
Visual Resource
Illustration of the 11 primary passions in the face of difficulties and trials, and desires and temptations.
Free Lesson Plan
Perfect for small groups, families, classrooms, or personal reflection.
5-Minute Deep Dive
Deepen your understanding of this source teaching by listening to a brief podcast-style discussion (powered by Google Gemini).
Related Scripture
“From now on, then, you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God's will and not by human desires.” — 1 Peter 4:2 (GNT)
“That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world.” — Titus 2:12 (GNT)
“Those who seek the good seek favor, but those who pursue evil will have evil come upon them.” — Proverbs 11:27 (NABRE)
“Make it your aim to do what is right, not what is evil, so that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty really will be with you, as you claim he is. Hate what is evil, love what is right, and see that justice prevails in the courts. Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to the people of this nation who are still left alive.” — Amos 5:14-15 (GNT)
“To honor the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words.” — Proverbs 8:13 (GNT)
“Be angry but do not sin…” — Ephesians 4:26 (NRSVue)
“Hate evil and love good…” — Amos 5:15 (NRSVue)
“If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh, but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” — Galatians 6:8 (NRSVue)
“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” — Proverbs 11:3 (NRSVue)
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” — Romans 12:21 (NRSVue)
“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” — Proverbs 3:7 (NRSVue)
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies, so that you obey their desires.” — Romans 6:12 (NRSVue)
Related Quotes
“A man who governs his passions is master of the world. We must either command them, or be enslaved by them.” — St. Dominic
“Evil results, however, when our passions overtake our intellect. When the passions get the better of the intellect, this usually results in sin. When the passions are fully mastered by the intellect, you have a beautiful and passionate saint. The goal is not to get rid of the passions (Stoicism) but to tame the passions (Christianity).” — Dr. Taylor Marshall
“If you have the desire and passion to do something, and it's within God's will, you will achieve it.” — Nick Vujicic
“Happiness and health must be earned by absolute control of the emotional nature.” — Florence Scovel Shinn
“A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, "You are mad; you are not like us." — St. Anthony the Great
“The Christian faith makes it possible for us nobly to accept that which cannot be changed, and to meet disappointments and sorrow with an inner poise, and to absorb the most intense pain without abandoning our sense of hope.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
“We are born to lose and to perish, to hope and to fear, to vex ourselves and others; and there is no antidote against a common calamity but virtue; for the foundation of true joy is in the conscience.” — Seneca
“Where perception is, there also are pain and pleasure, and where these are, there, of necessity, is desire.” — Aristotle
“If you don't behave as you believe, you will end by believing as you behave.” — Ven. Fulton J. Sheen
“I call myself a Peaceful Warrior... because the battles we fight are on the inside.” — Socrates
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