“Only the free will is capable of good or evil. But when the will sighs [and stands firm] under the trial of the tempter and does not will what is presented to it, there is not only no fault but there is virtue.” — St. Padre Pio

“To be human is to be challenged to be more divine. Not even to try to meet such a challenge is the biggest defeat imaginable.” — Maya Angelou

“Now the soul of the human is hierarchical. The highest power in the soul is the intellect. Next there is the will. Below the will are the passions. The passions fall into two categories: the concupiscible appetite and the irascible appetite. These passions relate to the human body. Angels also have an intellect and will, but they do not have the passions. To understand passions, think in terms of appetites, emotions, or bodily instincts.” — Dr. Taylor Marshall

“The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God.” — St. Anthony of Padua

“The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly to do it because it is his will.” — St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

“For man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but, when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all; since armed injustice is the more dangerous, and he is equipped at birth with the arms of intelligence and with moral qualities which he may use for the worst ends. Wherefore, if he have not virtue, he is the most unholy and the most savage of animals, and the most full of lust and gluttony. But justice is the bond of men in states, and the administration of justice, which is the determination of what is just, is the principle of order in political society.” — Aristotle

“Since we are animallike, we experience the passions for pleasure (food and sex) and also the passions of fear and anger. Unlike animals, we can say ‘no’ to our passions, since we possess rational souls. A dog might start mating with a strange dog, but humans can temper their libidos—even completely if they desire. Incidentally, Thomas Aquinas and other medievals pointed to the vocation of celibacy as ultimate proof that man can conquer his passions perfectly. Similarly, a mother bear may kill a hiker who comes between her and her cub. Yet, a human mother is able to abstract and reason as to whether killing someone is the appropriate act with regard to an unsuspecting hiker.” — Dr. Taylor Marshall

“But man is freer than all the animals, on account of his free-will, with which he is endowed above all other animals.” — St. Thomas Aquinas

“Embellish the soul with simplicity, with prudence...Walk according to God; for, as a poet hath said, his laws govern all.” — Marcus Aurelius

“For the real difference between humans and other animals is that humans alone have perception of good and evil, just and unjust, etc.” — Aristotle

“In bad or corrupted natures the body will often appear to rule over the soul, because they are in an evil and unnatural condition. At all events we may firstly observe in living creatures both a despotical and a constitutional rule; for the soul rules the body with a despotical rule, whereas the intellect rules the appetites with a constitutional and royal rule. And it is clear that the rule of the soul over the body, and of the mind and the rational element over the passionate...” — Aristotle

“Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life. . . . If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.” — St. Teresa of Avila

“The image of God always abides in the soul, whether this image be obsolete and clouded over as to amount to almost nothing; or whether it be obscured or disfigured, as is the case with sinners; or whether it be clear and beautiful as is the case with the just.” — St. Thomas Aquinas

“You need a change of soul rather than a change of climate.” — Seneca

“The soul is perfected by knowledge and virtue.” — St. Thomas Aquinas

“The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Virtue is the beauty of the soul.” — Socrates

“Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.” — Marcus Aurelius