Odor Quote by Augustine of Hippo
““For, in the same fire, gold gleams and straw smokes; under the same flail the stalk is crushed and the grain threshed; the lees are not mistaken for oil because they issued from the same press. So, too, the tide of trouble will test, purify, and improve the good, but beat, crush, and wash away the wicked. So it is that, under the weight of the same affliction, the wicked deny and blaspheme God, and the good pray to Him and praise Him. The difference is not in what people suffer but in the way they suffer. The same shaking that makes fetid water stink makes perfume issue a more pleasant odor.””
About This Quote
Source Sermon: De Trinitate, 5th century, Augustine of Hippo
Suffering refines the good and destroys the wicked; the same trial yields different outcomes based on character.
In simple terms: Trials shape people differently.
Key Takeaway
Endure trials with virtue.
Themes
suffering
virtue
divine justice
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
theological
inspirational
When to use this quote
- personal hardship
- spiritual testing
- moral decision making
Key Concepts
theology
ethics
metaphor
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you respond to hardship?
- What virtues help transform suffering?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify complex social factors influencing outcomes.
![“Time takes no holiday. It does not roll idly by, but through our senses works its own wonders in the mind. Time came and went from one day to the next; in its coming and its passing it brought me other hopes and other memories. [quoted in Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo, p. 54]” quote by Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7c2/augustine-of-hippo-2589_change_time-takes-no-holiday-it-does-not-roll-i_22609.jpg)
