---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great saints have often been made out of…"
description: "\"Great saints have often been made out of great sinners, but not one was ever made out of a wimp.\" — Peter Kreeft"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/peter-kreeft-820_made_great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of_2381931.png"
---

#  Great saints have often been made out of great sinners…

![“Great saints have often been made out of great sinners, but not one was ever made out of a wimp.” quote by Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/peter-kreeft-820_made_great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of_2381931.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/peter-kreeft-820_made_great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of_2381931.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/peter-kreeft-820_made_great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of_2381931.png)

> “Great saints have often been made out of great sinners, but not one was ever made out of a wimp.”

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Great saints often start as great sinners; no saint is a coward.

**In simple terms:** Saints emerge from sinners, not cowards.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate courage over fear.

Themes

courage redemption spiritual growth

Mood

inspirational hopeful

Type

motivational spiritual

When to use this quote

- personal development
- faith practice
- leadership training
- overcoming fear

Key Concepts

theology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What sins can become strengths?
- How do you confront personal cowardice?

A Different Perspective

May overlook humility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saint/) [Sinners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinners/)

## Related quotes

> [Give me great sinners to make great saints! They are glorious raw material for Grace to work upon and when you do get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/give-me-great-sinners-to-make-great-saints-they-are-glorious-raw/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [The great saints were always great innovators... They had to be very strong people... principled people. And, apart from their principles, with great tenacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-wilkinson/the-great-saints-were-always-great-innovators-they-had-to-be-very/)

[Colm Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-wilkinson/)

> [Great saints are never wimps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/great-saints-are-never-wimps/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [My friends, look to Christ, and not to yourselves. That is what is the matter with a great many sinners; instead of looking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/my-friends-look-to-christ-and-not-to-yourselves-that-is-what-is-the/)

[Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/)

> [We are great sinners; Jesus is a greater Savior!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-camp/we-are-great-sinners-jesus-is-a-greater-savior/)

[Steve Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-camp/)

> [“As the Houses tumbled upon the Streets with a great roaring Noise, they cryed out We are undone! We are great Sinners! and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/as-the-houses-tumbled-upon-the-streets-with-a-great-roaring-noise/)

[Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/)

> [“I agree that every saint has a past, but not that every sinner has a future. In this life we see a great many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/i-agree-that-every-saint-has-a-past-but-not-that-every-sinner-has-a/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [Saints are the great teachers of the loving-kindness and fascination with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/saints-are-the-great-teachers-of-the-loving-kindness-and-fascination/)

[Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/)

> [If we look to the saints, this great luminous wake with which God has passed through history, we truly see that here is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/if-we-look-to-the-saints-this-great-luminous-wake-with-which-god-has/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [People who are born even-tempered, placid and untroubled - secure from violent passions or temptations to evil - those who have never needed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-le-gallienne/people-who-are-born-even-tempered-placid-and-untroubled-secure-from/)

[Eva Le Gallienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-le-gallienne/)

> [When two great saints meet, it's a humbling experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/when-two-great-saints-meet-it-s-a-humbling-experience/)

[Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/)

> [We are all called to be great saints, don't miss the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-angelica/we-are-all-called-to-be-great-saints-don-t-miss-the-opportunity/)

[Mother Angelica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-angelica/)

> [Through all ages, great saints have remained as living proof that this non-temporary, permanent state of God consciousness can be revived in all living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/through-all-ages-great-saints-have-remained-as-living-proof-that-this/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [Sinners think they are saints, but saints know they are sinners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/sinners-think-they-are-saints-but-saints-know-they-are-sinners/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“Our only qualification for God's grace is our emptiness, not our fullness; our undeservingness, not our deservingness. 'Those who are well have no need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/our-only-qualification-for-god-s-grace-is-our-emptiness-not-our/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

## More by Peter Kreeft

> [“I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/i-strongly-suspect-that-if-we-saw-all-the-difference-even-the-tiniest/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [God's love is as objective as light. Because the sun in a sense is light, or the source of light rather than being lit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-love-is-as-objective-as-light-because-the-sun-in-a-sense-is/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The self is like a baseball. Throw it back to the divine pitcher who pitched it to you in the first place, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-self-is-like-a-baseball-throw-it-back-to-the-divine-pitcher-who/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [How will the Tower of Babel be undone? How will we understand each other in Heaven? Will we all speak English or Dutch or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/how-will-the-tower-of-babel-be-undone-how-will-we-understand-each/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Humility is the marriage bond of Heaven. Pride is the frigidity of Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/humility-is-the-marriage-bond-of-heaven-pride-is-the-frigidity-of-hell/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“Socrates says we must be either fools because we think we are wise, or wise because we know we are fools. Christ says we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/socrates-says-we-must-be-either-fools-because-we-think-we-are-wise-or/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [No sane person wants hell to exist. No sane person wants evil to exist. But hell is just evil eternalized. If there is evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-sane-person-wants-hell-to-exist-no-sane-person-wants-evil-to-exist/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Science only answers the question, How does it work? Or at most, What's there? Science asks what and how, philosophy asks why, myth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/science-only-answers-the-question-how-does-it-work-or-at-most-what-s/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The most compelling evidence for God's existence is Christ. If God does not exist, then Christ was the biggest fool who ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-compelling-evidence-for-god-s-existence-is-christ-if-god/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“One moment of prayer, of weak worship, confused contrition, tepid thanksgiving, or pitiful petition will bring us closer to God than all the books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/one-moment-of-prayer-of-weak-worship-confused-contrition-tepid/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [God's interventions are miracles: events that cannot happen by merely natural agents but only by a supernatural agent. They no more interfere with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-interventions-are-miracles-events-that-cannot-happen-by-merely/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“And what is consensus? It means a majority of the individuals in a society coming together and agreeing to make their values into laws,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/and-what-is-consensus-it-means-a-majority-of-the-individuals-in-a/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Love is the binding force on every level of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/love-is-the-binding-force-on-every-level-of-existence/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [We can't believe what we believe to be untrue, and we can't love what we believe to be unreal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/we-can-t-believe-what-we-believe-to-be-untrue-and-we-can-t-love-what/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

[Explore all 361 Peter Kreeft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

## More Made quotes

> [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [I made $225.81 a week as an accountant, and I went to $400 a week as a stand-up. I was up to $800 a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pinette/i-made-225-81-a-week-as-an-accountant-and-i-went-to-400-a-week-as-a/)

[John Pinette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pinette/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/)

[Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/)

[Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/)

> [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/)

[Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/)

> [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

Browse all 29,875 Made quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Great saints have often been made out of great sinners, but not one was ever made out of a wimp.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Kreeft"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of-great-sinners-but-not-one/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Made"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of-great-sinners-but-not-one/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/peter-kreeft-820_made_great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of_2381931.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/peter-kreeft-820_made_great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of_2381931.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/peter-kreeft-820_made_great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of_2381931.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Great saints have often been made out of great sinners, but not one was ever made out of a wimp.” — Peter Kreeft",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Peter Kreeft",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Great saints have often been made...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of-great-sinners-but-not-one/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/great-saints-have-often-been-made-out-of-great-sinners-but-not-one/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
