When discussing Thomas Aquinas’s views on work, one must distinguish two meanings of the word. In a more general sense, “work as activity” (in contrast to idleness) is treated by Aquinas as a virtuous undertaking that realizes the potential of the human creature as the image and likeness of God. Even if human beings—who are composed of potentiality and actuality—can never become exactly like God who is pure actuality (actus purus), it is to the extent they participate in God’s good works that they approach the divine. Work as activity is thus a necessary requirement to transcend mere potentiality which is unworthy of the human condition. At the same time, in a more restricted sense, “work as manual labor” is not an unconditional precept but should be considered by its goals: whether it maintains physical existence, helps to avoid evil, curbs concupiscence, or contributes to almsgiving. The gradual development of Aquinas’s argument nevertheless indicates that not even manual labor is without spiritual and social relevance, which is even more true of work as a “human occupation whereby the human being can lawfully gain a livelihood, whether by using his hands, his feet, or his tongue.” In other words, the analysis of manual labor leads back to the more overarching issue of work as human action, giving the concept of “work” a definition that remains embedded in a theological framework and impossible to understand without it.