“Yet through virtuous living man is further ordained to a higher end, which consists in the enjoyment of God, as we have said above. Consequently, since society must have the same end as the individual man, it is not the ultimate end of an assembled multitude to live virtuously, but through virtuous living to attain to the possession of God.”

Italian Dominican friar, priest, theologian, and philosopher of the 13th century

Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Dominican friar, priest, theologian, and philosopher of the 13th century. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Catholic theology and Western philosophy. He is best known as the founder of Thomism, the school of thought that developed around his work. His writing shaped later Christian theology and philosophical debate, and his name remains closely associated with reasoned argument about faith, ethics, and the structure of knowledge.