Augustine remains a central figure, both within Christianity and in the history of Western thought. In both his philosophical and theological reasoning, he was greatly influenced by Stoicism, Platonism and Neoplatonism. His early and influential writing on the human will, would become a focus for later philosophers such as Schopenhauer and Nietzche. Augustine was canonised by popular recognition and recognized as a Doctor of the Church in 1303. His feast day is 28 August, the day on which he is thought to have died. He is considered the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, sore eyes, and a number of cities and dioceses.

This is one of those quotations which turns up in all kinds of contexts, ascribed to all kinds of characters and authors. I have heard it used, for example, as a rallying cry in one dramatized version of Alexandre Dumas's Three Musketeers. The subject-matter of the quotation predisposes us to think of it as coming from a great romantic - a Shakespeareian lover, say. When we read that it is from Saint Augustine, the quotation takes on a fresh allure, as we reflect on the implications on how such words could emanate from one of the world's greatest saints

Debate on St Augustine

St Augustine's theories

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