Famous Cholerics


St. Ignatius of Loyola

“He was much addicted to gambling, very contentious, and not above engaging in swordplay on occasion. During the long weeks of his recuperation, he was extremely bored and asked for some romance novels to pass the time. Luckily there were none in the castle of Loyola, but there was a copy of the life of Christ and a book on the saints. Desperate, Ignatius began to read them. The more he read, the more he considered the exploits of the saints worth imitating. However, at the same time, he continued to have daydreams of fame and glory, along with fantasies of winning the love of a certain noble lady of the court….It is probably true that the picture of Ignatius that most people have is that of a soldier: stern, iron-willed, practical, showing little emotion -- not a very attractive or warm personality. Yet if this picture is exact, it is hard to see how he could have had such a strong influence on those who knew him. While zealous to bring people to God and to help them spiritually, Ignatius still remained a person of practicality and common sense.” The Life of St. Ignatius of Loyola by Rev. Norman O'Neal, S.J.

St. John Bosco

“He was strong and lively; he showed himself full of intelligence and ardour, the exact opposite of his brother Joseph, who was quiet, slow and timid.” (Henri Gheon) He had an ambitious, strong, robust temperament and struggled heroically to attain the virtues of gentleness, peace and tenderness.

St. Cyril of Alexandria

Cyril of Alexandria had volatile, argumentative, fiery temper. "By nature, each one of us is enclosed in his own personality, but supernaturally, we are all one. We are made one body in Christ, because we are nourished by one flesh. As Christ is indivisible, we are all one in him. Therefore, He asked His Father ‘that they may all be One as We also are one.’"

Other Famous Cholerics

Rush Limbaugh, George Patton, Margaret Thatcher, Michael Jordan, Bill Gates

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