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David Hume Quotes - Page 9

All Quotes Affection Age Ambition Appearance Arrogance Art Atheism Beauty Belief Character Common Sense Constitution Corruption Country Curiosity Death Desire Determination Doubt Empathy Enthusiasm Ethics Evil Experience Feelings Friendship Genius Giving God Happiness Heart History Honesty Human Nature Humility Ignorance Imagination Imperfection Judgement Judgment Justice Knowledge Labor Learning Liberty Life Lying Mankind Morality Nature Office Pain Painting Passion Past Perception Philosophy Pleasure Praise Purpose Quality Reality Reflection Religion Revenge Running Science Sorrow Soul Spring Study Truth Understanding Universe Virtue War Weakness

Poets themselves, tho' liars by profession, always endeavour to give an air of truth to their fictions.

Poets themselves, tho' liars by profession, always endeavour to give an air of truth to their fictions.

Liars, Air, Giving

'A Treatise upon Human Nature' (1739) bk. 1, pt. 3

Reasoning from the common course of nature, and without supposing any new interposition of the Supreme Cause, which ought always to be excluded from philosophy; what is incorruptible must also be ingenerable. The soul, therefore, if immortal, existed before our birth: And if the former existence noways concerned us, neither will the latter.

Philosophy, Soul, Causes

David Hume (1824). “The Philosophical Works of David Hume ... Containing Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Essays on the Immortality of the Soul, Suicide ... &c. A New Edition”, p.116

There is not to be found, in all history, any miracle attested by a sufficient number of men, of such unquestioned good sense, education and learning, as to secure us against all delusion in themselves.

Learning, Men, Numbers

David Hume (1758). “Essays and Treatises on several subjects, etc. New edition”, p.347

No conclusions can be more agreeable to scepticism than such as make discoveries concerning the weakness and narrow limits of human reason and capacity.

Discovery, Weakness, Limits

David Hume, Eric Steinberg (1993). “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding ; [with] A Letter from a Gentleman to His Friend in Edinburgh ; [and] An Abstract of a Treatise of Human Nature”, p.51, Hackett Publishing

What is easy and obvious is never valued; and even what is in itself difficult, if we come to knowledge of it without difficulty, and without and stretch of thought or judgment, is but little regarded.

Motivation, Littles, Judgment

David Hume (2015). “A Treatise of Human Nature: Top Philosophy Collections”, p.335, 谷月社

Nothing can be more unphilosophical than to be positive or dogmatical on any subject; and even if excessive scepticism could be maintained it would not be more destructive to all just reasoning and inquiry. When men are the most sure and arrogant, they are commonly the most mistaken, and have there given reins to passion, without that proper deliberation and suspense which can alone secure them from the grossest absurdities.

Passion, Men, Being Positive

David Hume (2016). “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: Revision of Great Book”, p.213, VM eBooks

Every wise, just, and mild government, by rendering the condition of its subjects easy and secure, will always abound most in people, as well as in commodities and riches.

Wise, Government, People

David Hume (1754). “ESSAYS AND TREATISES ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS.”, p.140

Nothing can be more real, or concern us more, than our own sentiments of pleasure and uneasiness; and if these be favourable to virtue and unfavourable to vice, no more can be requisite to the regulation of our conduct and behavior.

Real, Philosophical, Vices

David Hume (1874). “A Treatise on Human Nature: Being an Attempt to Introduce the Experimental Method of Reasoning Into Moral Subjects; and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion”, p.245

It is a certain rule that wit and passion are entirely incompatible. When the affections are moved, there is no place for the imagination.

Passion, Imagination, Affection

David Hume (2016). “Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)”, p.697, Delphi Classics

Nothing is pure and entire of a piece. All advantages are attended with disadvantages. A universal compensation prevails in all conditions of being and existence.

Pieces, Advantage, Existence

David Hume (1870). “Essays, Literary, Moral, and Political”, p.552

Absolute monarchy,... is the easiest death, the true Euthanasia of the BRITISH constitution.

Death, Constitution, Euthanasia

David Hume (1862). “Essays moral, political, and literary. (Life of the author, etc.).”, p.32

Reason, in a strict sense, as meaning the judgment of truth and falsehood, can never, of itself, be any motive to the will, and can have no influence but so far as it touches some passion or affection. Abstract relations of ideas are the object of curiosity, not of volition. And matters of fact, where they are neither good nor evil, where they neither excite desire nor aversion, are totally indifferent, and whether known or unknown, whether mistaken or rightly apprehended, cannot be regarded as any motive to action.

Truth, Passion, Ideas

David Hume, Tom L. Beauchamp (2007). “A Dissertation on the Passions: The Natural History of Religion : a Critical Edition”, p.24, Oxford University Press

Mankind are always found prodigal both of blood and treasure in the maintenance of public justice.

Blood, Justice, Maintenance

David Hume (1825). “Essays and treatises on several subjects: essays, moral, political and literary”, p.28

Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients; action, pleasure and indolence. And though these ingredients ought to be mixed in different proportions, according to the disposition of the person, yet no one ingredient can be entirely wanting without destroying in some measure the relish of the whole composition.

Happiness, Different, Three

David Hume (2016). “Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)”, p.746, Delphi Classics

It forms a strong presumption against all supernatural and miraculous relations, that they are observed chiefly to abound among ignorant and barbarous nations; or if a civilized people has ever given admission to any of them, that people will be found to have received them from ignorant and barbarous ancestors.

Strong, People, Ignorant

David Hume (1793). “Essays and Treatises on Several Subjects”, p.130

There is nothing, in itself, valuable or despicable, desirable or hateful, beautiful or deformed; but that these attributes arise from the particular constitution and fabric of human sentiment and affection.

Beautiful, Science, Fabric

David Hume (2016). “Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)”, p.675, Delphi Classics

In all ages of the world, priests have been enemies to liberty; and it is certain, that this steady conduct of theirs must have been founded on fixed reasons of interest and ambition. Liberty of thinking, and of expressing our thoughts, is always fatal to priestly power, and to those pious frauds, on which it is commonly founded; and, by an infallible connexion, which prevails among all kinds of liberty, this privilege can never be enjoyed, at least has never yet been enjoyed, but in a free government.

Ambition, Thinking, Government

David Hume (2016). “Essays Moral, Political, Literary: Revision of Great Book”, p.50, VM eBooks

A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined.

Law, Miracle, Facts

David Hume (1875). “Essays Moral, Political, and Literary”, p.93

Liberty is a blessing so inestimable, that, wherever there appears any probability of recovering it, a nation may willingly run many hazards, and ought not even to repine at the greatest effusion of blood or dissipation of treasure.

Running, Blessing, Blood

David Hume (2016). “Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)”, p.874, Delphi Classics

To consider the matter aright, reason is nothing but a wonderful and unintelligible instinct in our souls, which carries us along a certain train of ideas, and endows them with particular qualities, according to their particular situations and relations. This instinct, 'tis true, arises from past observation and experience; but can anyone give the ultimate reason, why past experience and observation produces such an effect, any more than why nature alone should produce it?

Nature, Science, Past

David Hume (2003). “A Treatise of Human Nature”, p.128, Courier Corporation

Riches are valuable at all times, and to all men, because they always purchase pleasures such as men are accustomed to and desire; nor can anything restrain or regulate the love of money but a sense of honor and virtue, which, if it be not nearly equal at all times, will naturally abound most in ages of knowledge and refinement.

Men, Honor, Age

David Hume (1809). “Essays and treatises on several subjects in two volumes: Essays, moral, political, and literacy”, p.293

It is... a just political maxim, that every man must be supposed a knave.

Men, Political, Politics

David Hume (1825). “Essays and treatises on several subjects: essays, moral, political and literary”, p.37

An established government has an infinite advantage, by that very circumstance of its being established--the bulk of mankind being governed by authority, not reason, and never attributing authority to anything that has not the recommendation of antiquity.

Government, Infinite, Reason

David Hume, Knud Haakonssen (1994). “Hume: Political Essays”, p.221, Cambridge University Press

Courage, of all national qualities, is the most precarious; because it is exerted only at intervals, and by a few in every nation; whereas industry, knowledge, civility, may be of constant and universal use, and for several ages, may become habitual to the whole people.

Courage, People, Quality

David Hume (2016). “Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)”, p.706, Delphi Classics

Were a man, whom I know to be honest and opulent, and with whom I live in intimate friendship, to come into my house, where I am surrounded with my servants, I rest assured, that he is not to stab me before he leaves it, in order to rob me of my silver standish; and I no more suspect this event, than the falling of the house itself which is new, and solidly built and founded.--But he may have been seized with a sudden and unknown frenzy.--So may a sudden earthquake arise, and shake and tumble my house about my ears.

Honesty, Fall, Men

David Hume, Tom L. Beauchamp (2000). “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: A Critical Edition”, p.69, Oxford University Press

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