Jody Williams

I think there's a mythology that if you want to change the world, you have to be sainted, like Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela or Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Ordinary people with lives that go up and down and around in circles can still contribute to change.

American Activist

Karl Rove

Look, in 1800 the sainted Thomas Jefferson arranged to hire a notorious slanderer named James Callender, who worked as a writer at a Republican newspaper in Richmond, Va. Read some of what he wrote about John Adams. This was a personal slander.

American Politician

Implies deep affection combined with respect, often used for family members.

Affectionate Respect

Does not mean the person is a saint, but that they are as virtuous as one.

Not Actual Saints

Often used to describe someone who has passed away and is fondly remembered.

Past Tense Emphasis

Used in a religious context, referring to an official declaration by a church.

Religious Process

Becoming a saint is rare and considered a great honor in religious communities.

Rare Occurrence

Sainting usually takes place posthumously, honoring a person's life after death.

Sainted