"The One, the Good, the True, and the Beautiful, these are what we call the transcendental attributes of Being, because they surpass all the limits of essences and are coextensive with Being"

In this quote, Hans Urs von Balthasar is describing four principles that he describes as "transcendental attributes of Being." These attributes are the One, the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. According to Balthasar, these qualities are considered transcendent since they surpass the limits of private essences, and they are coextensive with Being itself. To put it simply, these principles are not limited to any specific item or entity, but rather they explain the essential nature of presence itself. Balthasar's idea suggests that there is a universal, everlasting quality to Being that goes beyond any private thing, and that there are specific qualities that are fundamental to all things simply since they exist.