Home > Topic > privations
1 " In this universe, even what is called evil, when it is rightly ordered and kept in its place, commends the good more eminently, since good things yield greater pleasure and praise when compared to the bad things. For the Omnipotent God, whom even the heathen acknowledge as the Supreme Power over all, would not allow any evil in his works, unless in his omnipotence and goodness, as the Supreme Good, he is able to bring forth good out of evil. What, after all, is anything we call evil except the privation of good? In animal bodies, for instance, sickness and wounds are nothing but the privation of health. When a cure is effected, the evils which were present (i.e., the sickness and the wounds) do not retreat and go elsewhere. Rather, they simply do not exist any more. For such evil is not a substance; the wound or the disease is a defect of the bodily substance which, as a substance, is good. Evil, then, is an accident, i.e., a privation of that good which is called health. Thus, whatever defects there are in a soul are privations of a natural good. When a cure takes place, they are not transferred elsewhere but, since they are no longer present in the state of health, they no longer exist at all. "
― Augustine of Hippo , The Enchiridion on Faith Hope and Love (Augustine Series 1)
2 " The way we experience the pilgrimage is a reflection of our inner state,’ the imam said. ‘To some of us it will be a strenuous trial, whereas to others every step of the way is a joy, despite the privations and discomfort. "
― , From MTV to Mecca: How Islam Inspired My Life
3 " Schoolboy days are no happier than the days of afterlife, but we look back upon them regretfully because we have forgotten our punishments at school and how we grieved when our marbles were lost and our kites destroyed – because we have forgotten all the sorrows and privations of the canonized ethic and remember only its orchard robberies, its wooden-sword pageants, and its fishing holidays. "
― Mark Twain , The Innocents Abroad
4 " In reality the mere privations is not enoughto cause an insurrection: if it were the masses would always be in revolt "
― Trotsky
5 " All sorts of spiritual gifts come through privations if they are accepted. "
6 " Little privations are easily endured when the heart is better treated than the body. "
7 " Luck means the hardships and privations which you have not hesitated to endure the long nights you have devoted to work. Luck means the appointments you have never failed to keep the trains you have never failed to catch. "
8 " I have often been downcast but never in despair; I regard our hiding as a dangerous adventure, romantic and interesting at the same time. In my diary, I treat all the privations as amusing. "
