---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is altogether unlawful to kill…"
description: "\"It is altogether unlawful to kill oneself... Wherefore suicide is contrary to the inclination of nature, and to charity whereby every man should love h..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/thomas-aquinas-837_charity_it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-onesel_3195356.jpg"
---

#  It is altogether unlawful to kill oneself... Wherefore…

![“It is altogether unlawful to kill oneself... Wherefore suicide is contrary to the inclination of nature, and to charity whereby every man should love himself... Life is God's gift to man, and is subject to His power, Who kills and makes to live. Hence whoever takes his own life, sins against…” quote by Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/thomas-aquinas-837_charity_it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-onesel_3195356.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/thomas-aquinas-837_charity_it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-onesel_3195356.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/thomas-aquinas-837_charity_it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-onesel_3195356.jpg)

> “It is altogether unlawful to kill oneself... Wherefore suicide is contrary to the inclination of nature, and to charity whereby every man should love himself... Life is God's gift to man, and is subject to His power, Who kills and makes to live. Hence whoever takes his own life, sins against God... for it belongs to God alone to pronounce sentence of death and life.”

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

## About This Quote

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

Life is a divine gift; taking it ends violates divine authority and natural law, emphasizing reverence for existence.

**In simple terms:** Life is sacred; suicide is a sin against God.

Key Takeaway

Respect life as a divine gift.

Themes

ethics theology life suicide divine law

Mood

reflective serious

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- mental health counseling
- ethical debates
- spiritual guidance

Key Concepts

sanctity of life moral philosophy religious doctrine

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies balance moral teachings with mental health support?
- What role does compassion play in addressing suicidal thoughts?

A Different Perspective

Complex mental health factors may require compassionate support beyond moral condemnation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Charity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charity/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Death and life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-and-life/) [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [God's Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-gift/) [Inclination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inclination/) [Kill Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill-oneself-1896784/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself/) [Sentence Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence-death-1554719/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Suicidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicidal/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Suicide Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide-contrary-5910455/) [Unlawful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlawful/) [Wherefore Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wherefore-suicide-5910456/)

## Related quotes

> [As soon as one does not kill oneself, one must keep silent about life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/as-soon-as-one-does-not-kill-oneself-one-must-keep-silent-about-life/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“It would be wrong to kill oneself if one did not know exactly the nature of one's eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-williams/it-would-be-wrong-to-kill-oneself-if-one-did-not-know-exactly-the/)

[Kate Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-williams/)

> [“Better to kill time than kill oneself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/better-to-kill-time-than-kill-oneself/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [It is unlawful to add anything to the words of Holy Scripture regarding the sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/it-is-unlawful-to-add-anything-to-the-words-of-holy-scripture/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [Stupidity cannot be cured. Stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death. There is no appeal, and execution is carried out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stupidity-cannot-be-cured-stupidity-is-the-only-universal-capital/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [How do people come up with a date and a time to take life from another man? . . . Twelve white men say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/how-do-people-come-up-with-a-date-and-a-time-to-take-life-from/)

[Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/)

> [“You’re a sick son of a bitch. I’m your judge and jury. I find you guilty as charged and the sentence is death, mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-r-dennis/you-re-a-sick-son-of-a-bitch-i-m-your-judge-and-jury-i-find-you/)

[Rhonda R. Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-r-dennis/)

> [“9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us  n rely not on ourselves  o but on God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/9indeed-we-felt-that-we-had-received-the-sentence-of-death-but-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Nature deemed that to be born was an automatic sentence to death, and then brought about that death with vicious consistency. We”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/nature-deemed-that-to-be-born-was-an-automatic-sentence-to-death-and/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [If words had weight, a single sentence from Death would have anchored a ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/if-words-had-weight-a-single-sentence-from-death-would-have-anchored/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [We are all under sentence of death, but with a sort of indefinite reprieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/we-are-all-under-sentence-of-death-but-with-a-sort-of-indefinite/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [If I am part of a group of 100 people, do 99 people have the right to sentence me to death, just because they are majority?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/if-i-am-part-of-a-group-of-100-people-do-99-people-have-the-right-to/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [“Christianity Life sentence with a death penalty and full pardon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-sheehan/christianity-life-sentence-with-a-death-penalty-and-full-pardon/)

[John M. Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-sheehan/)

> [Life, a short sentence. death, three-point...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandro/life-a-short-sentence-death-three-point/)

[Sandro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandro/)

> [“What astonished me greatly was, that though he believed that he was under sentence of death, he made no effort to avail himself of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/what-astonished-me-greatly-was-that-though-he-believed-that-he-was/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

## More by Thomas Aquinas

> [Grace does not destroy nature, it perfects it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/grace-does-not-destroy-nature-it-perfects-it/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [Justice is in subjects as well as in rulers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/justice-is-in-subjects-as-well-as-in-rulers/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [“A capacity as such is directed to an act. Wherefore we seek to know the nature of a capacity from the act to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/a-capacity-as-such-is-directed-to-an-act-wherefore-we-seek-to-know/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [“Yet no-one can say that God has not a Word, for it would follow that God is most foolish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/yet-no-one-can-say-that-god-has-not-a-word-for-it-would-follow-that/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [Unbelief is the greatest of sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/unbelief-is-the-greatest-of-sins/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [If forgers and malefactors are put to death by the secular power, there is much more reason for excommunicating and even putting to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/if-forgers-and-malefactors-are-put-to-death-by-the-secular-power/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [When fear is excessive it can make many a man despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/when-fear-is-excessive-it-can-make-many-a-man-despair/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [Now, nothing can be brought from potentiality to actual existence except through something actually existing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/now-nothing-can-be-brought-from-potentiality-to-actual-existence/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [To convert somebody go and take them by the hand and guide them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/to-convert-somebody-go-and-take-them-by-the-hand-and-guide-them/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [ By the divine providence \[animals\] are intended for man's use... Hence it is not wrong for man to make use of them, either by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/by-the-divine-providence-animals-are-intended-for-man-s-use-hence-it/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [“What causes love, since it is a passion, is its object; and since it is a sort of affinity or agreement with the object,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/what-causes-love-since-it-is-a-passion-is-its-object-and-since-it-is/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [The image of God always abides in the soul, whether this image be obsolete and clouded over as to amount to almost nothing; or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/the-image-of-god-always-abides-in-the-soul-whether-this-image-be/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [Charity, by which God and neighbor are loved, is the most perfect friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/charity-by-which-god-and-neighbor-are-loved-is-the-most-perfect/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [Beauty adds to goodness a relation to the cognitive faculty: so that "good" means that which simply pleases the appetite; while the "beautiful" is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/beauty-adds-to-goodness-a-relation-to-the-cognitive-faculty-so-that/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [“God is not, like creatures, made up of parts. God is spirit, without bodily dimensions. Firstly, no body can cause change without itself being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/god-is-not-like-creatures-made-up-of-parts-god-is-spirit-without/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

[Explore all 357 Thomas Aquinas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

## More Charity quotes

> [The greatest charity you can contribute to is yourself. Instead of spending a dollar to help feed hungry children, why not spend that dollar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-greatest-charity-you-can-contribute-to-is-yourself-instead-of/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [I would have none of that rigid circumspect charity which is never done without scrutiny, and which always mistrusts the truth of the necessities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/i-would-have-none-of-that-rigid-circumspect-charity-which-is-never/)

[Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/)

> [I'm publicist, patron of nine charities, creative director, food consultant, recipe developer - and mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-publicist-patron-of-nine-charities-creative-director-food/)

[Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/)

> [The next time you're looking at a charity, don't ask about the rate of their overhead. Ask about the scale of their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-next-time-you-re-looking-at-a-charity-don-t-ask-about-the-rate-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/)

[F. A. Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-a-harper/)

> [I shall pray God to send charity into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the unhappy and unfortunate. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/i-shall-pray-god-to-send-charity-into-this-hideous-world-and-sympathy/)

[John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/)

> [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Considering community support and cost-benefit analysis, I have supported earmarks for projects of high public purpose involving such areas as higher education, alternative energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-fortenberry/considering-community-support-and-cost-benefit-analysis-i-have/)

[Jeff Fortenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-fortenberry/)

> [It's always great to be able to give back to the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-vucevic/it-s-always-great-to-be-able-to-give-back-to-the-community/)

[Nikola Vucevic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-vucevic/)

> [Slander is a poison which kills charity, both in the slanderer and the one who listens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-of-clairvaux/slander-is-a-poison-which-kills-charity-both-in-the-slanderer-and-the/)

[Bernard of Clairvaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-of-clairvaux/)

> [I like to give back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-chan/i-like-to-give-back/)

[Jackie Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-chan/)

> [We have to restore power to the family, to the neighborhood, and the community with a non-market principle, a principle of equality, of charity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/we-have-to-restore-power-to-the-family-to-the-neighborhood-and-the/)

[Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/)

> [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [I own about 300 pairs of shoes. When I start to go over 300, I have mini-sales from my closet and give the money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-london/i-own-about-300-pairs-of-shoes-when-i-start-to-go-over-300-i-have/)

[Stacy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-london/)

[Browse all 2,477 Charity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is altogether unlawful to kill oneself... Wherefore suicide is contrary to the inclination of nature, and to charity whereby every man should love himself... Life is God's gift to man, and is subject to His power, Who kills and makes to live. Hence whoever takes his own life, sins against God... for it belongs to God alone to pronounce sentence of death and life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Aquinas"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-oneself-wherefore-suicide-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Charity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-oneself-wherefore-suicide-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/thomas-aquinas-837_charity_it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-onesel_3195356.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/thomas-aquinas-837_charity_it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-onesel_3195356.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/thomas-aquinas-837_charity_it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-onesel_3195356.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is altogether unlawful to kill oneself... Wherefore suicide is contrary to the inclination of nature, and…” — Thomas Aquinas",
                "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": "Thomas Aquinas",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is altogether unlawful to kill...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-oneself-wherefore-suicide-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/it-is-altogether-unlawful-to-kill-oneself-wherefore-suicide-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
