“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.”

—  Aurelius Augustinus

As quoted in Manipulus Florum (c. 1306), edited by Thomas Hibernicus, Superbia i cum uariis; also in Best Thoughts Of Best Thinkers: Amplified, Classified, Exemplified and Arranged as a Key to unlock the Literature of All Ages (1904) edited by Hialmer Day Gould and Edward Louis Hessenmueller
Disputed

Original

Humilitas homines sanctis angelis similes facit, et superbia ex angelis demones facit.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Feb. 19, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels." by Aurelius Augustinus?
Aurelius Augustinus photo
Aurelius Augustinus 183
early Christian theologian and philosopher 354–430

Related quotes

William Blake photo

“It is not because Angels are Holier than Men or Devils that makes them Angels but because they do not Expect Holiness from one another but from God only”

William Blake (1757–1827) English Romantic poet and artist

1810s
Source: A Vision of the Last Judgment

“takes a devil to make a decent angel.”

Tom Spanbauer (1946) American writer
Miguel de Unamuno photo

“The devil is an angel too.”

Miguel de Unamuno (1864–1936) 19th-20th century Spanish writer and philosopher

Tres novelas ejemplares y un prólogo [Three Exemplary Novels and a Prologue] (1920); Two Mothers

John Doe photo

“There are no angels there are devils in many ways”

John Doe (1954) American singer, songwriter, actor, poet, guitarist and bass player

Song lyrics, Los Angeles (1980), The World's A Mess It's In My Kiss

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley photo

“The fallen angel becomes a malignant devil.”

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797–1851) English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer
Samuel Taylor Coleridge photo

“And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin
Is pride that apes humility.”

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) English poet, literary critic and philosopher

"The Devil's Thoughts", st. 6 (1799)

“No. He married an angel, and I married a devil.”

Wanda Toscanini (1907–1998) Italian musician

Source: The Last Romantic, television documentary on Vladimir Horowitz

Anne Rice photo

“Doesn't matter now, devils who paint angels.”

Anne Rice book The Vampire Lestat

The Vampire Lestat (1985)

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord photo

“Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.”

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754–1838) French diplomat

Noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, doux comme l'amour.
frequently misattributed to Talleyrand, no primary source exists, its not his style of speech, and he famously drank tea not coffee.
Misattributed

Related topics