Tertullian
Major theologian in the early Christian church, known for his powerful denunciations of many influences he considered heretical, including the widespread admiration of pagan philosophers and many Gnostic ideas, yet in later life a Montanist, and thus he himself an embracer of beliefs that came to be declared heretical.
A variant on “One is not born wise, but becomes wise” from Seneca On Anger 2.10.6; see: Christian and Pagan in the Roman Empire: the witness of Tertullian, by Tertullian, Robert Dick Sider, p. 38, footnote 79.
Vide, inquiunt, ut invicem se diligant; ipsi enim invicem oderunt: et ut pro alterutro mori sint parati; ipsi enim ad occidendum alterutrum paratiores erunt.
Many variants on this exist, notably “Great lovers are made, not born.” and “(Great) leaders are made, not born.”
Itaque et ego vanitatem vanitate depellam.
As often as we are mown down by you, the more we grow in numbers; the blood of the Christians is the seed.
De calcaria in carbonarium.
This is said with more spirit than truth.
Infirma commendatio est quae de alterius destructione fulcitur.
Qui fugiebat, rursus sibi proeliabitur.
Prorsus credibile est, quia ineptum est.
Nec alii obest aut prodest alterius religio.
Omnium gentium unus homo, uarium nomen est, una anima, uaria uox, unus spiritus, uarius sonus, propria cuique genti loquella, sed loquellae materia communis.
Every word almost was a sentence; every sentence a victory.
Two lines from De Carne Christi have often become conflated into the statement: "Credo quia impossibile" (I believe it because it is impossible), which can be perceived as a distortion of the actual arguments that Tertullian was making.
We worship unity in trinity, and trinity in unity; neither confounding the person nor dividing the substance. There is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost; but the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.
Cum ergo spiritus Dei descendit, indiuidua patientia comitatur eum.
esterni sumus, & vestra omnia implevimus, Vrbes, Insulas, Castella, Municipia, Conciliabula, Castra ipsa, Tribus, Decurias, palatium, Senatum, Forum, sola vobis relinquimus Templa.
Plures efficimur, quoties metumur a vobis; semen est sanguis christianorum.
Veritas autem docendo persuadet non suadendo docet.
Often quoted as ‘The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.’