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Thomas Hobbes Quotes
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Thomas Hobbes , in some older texts Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, was an English philosopher who is considered one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book Leviathan, which established the social contract theory that has served as the foundation for most later Western political philosophy. In addition to political philosophy, Hobbes also contributed to a diverse array of other fields, including history, jurisprudence, geometry, the physics of gases, theology, ethics, and general philosophy.

Though on rational grounds a champion of absolutism for the sovereign, Hobbes also developed some of the fundamentals of European liberal thought: the right of the individual; the natural equality of all men; the artificial character of the political order ; the view that all legitimate political power must be "representative" and based on the consent of the people; and a liberal interpretation of law that leaves people free to do whatever the law does not explicitly forbid. His understanding of humans as being matter and motion, obeying the same physical laws as other matter and motion, remains influential; and his account of human nature as self-interested cooperation, and of political communities as being based upon a "social contract" remains one of the major topics of political philosophy.

✵ 5. April 1588 – 4. December 1679
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Thomas Hobbes: 97   quotes 18   likes

Thomas Hobbes Quotes

“The secret thoughts of a man run over all things, holy, prophane, clean, obscene, grave, and light, without shame, or blame…”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 8, p. 34
Leviathan (1651)

Secret , Light

“But Aversion wee have for things, not only which we know have hurt us; but also that we do not know whether they will hurt us, or not.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 6, p. 24
Leviathan (1651)

Hurt

“I know not how the world will receive it, nor how it may reflect on those that shall seem to favor it. For in a way beset with those that contend, on one side for too great Liberty, and on the other side for too much Authority, 'tis hard to passe between the points of both unwounded.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The Epistle Dedicatory, Paris, April 15-25, 1651
Leviathan (1651)

World , Way

“For there is no such thing as perpetual Tranquility of mind, while we live here; because Life it selfe is but Motion, and can never be without Desire, nor without Feare, no more than without Sense.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 6, p. 29 (See also: Rene Girard)
Leviathan (1651)

Life , Fear , Sense

“For he that hath strength enough to protect all, wants not sufficiency to oppresse all.”

Thomas Hobbes book De Cive

De Cive "Of the right of him, whether Counsell, or one Man onely, who hath the supreme power in the City" (1642) Ch. 6

“No man is bound by the words themselves, either to kill himselfe, or any other man.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The Second Part, Chapter 21, p. 112
Leviathan (1651)

“By MANNERS, I mean not here Decency of behaviour; as how one man should salute another, or how a man should wash his mouth, or pick his teeth before company, and such other points of the Small Morals; But those qualities of mankind that concern their living together in Peace and Unity. To which end we are to consider that the Felicity of this life consisteth not in the repose of a mind satisfied. For there is no such Finis ultimus (utmost aim) nor Summum Bonum (greatest good) as is spoken of in the books of the old Moral Philosophers. Nor can a man any more live whose desires are at an end than he whose Senses and Imaginations are at a stand.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 11, p. 47
Leviathan (1651)

Life , Books , Peace , Imagination

“Desire, to know why, and how, CURIOSITY; such as is in no living creature but Man; so that Man is distinguished, not only by his Reason; but also by this singular Passion from other Animals; in whom the appetite of food, and other pleasures of Sense, by predominance, take away the care of knowing causes; which is a Lust of the mind, that by a perseverance of delight in the continual and indefatigable generation of Knowledge, exceedeth the short vehemence of any carnal Pleasure.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 6, p. 26
Leviathan (1651)

Pleasure , Food , Knowledge , Sense

“In the state of nature, Profit is the measure of Right.”
...in statu naturae Mensuram juris esse Utilitatem.

Thomas Hobbes book De Cive

De Cive (1642)

Nature

“For Prudence, is but Experience; which equal time, equally bestows on all men, in those things they equally apply themselves unto.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 13, p. 60
Leviathan (1651)

Men , Time

“For naturall Bloud is in like manner made of the fruits of the Earth; and circulating, nourisheth by the way, every Member of the Body of Man.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The Second Part, Chapter 24, p. 130 (See also: Velocity of money)
Leviathan (1651)

Way

“From whence it follows, that were the publique and private interest are most closely united, there is the publique most advanced.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The Second Part, Chapter 19, p. 97
Leviathan (1651)

“Power as is really divided, and as dangerously to all purposes, by sharing with another an Indirect Power, as a Direct one.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The Third Part, Chapter 42, p. 315
Leviathan (1651)

“To understand this for sense it is not required that a man should be a geometrician or a logician, but that he should be mad.”

Thomas Hobbes

On the proposition that the volume generated by revolving the region under 1/x from 1 to infinity has finite volume. Quoted in Mathematical Maxims and Minims by N. Rose (1988)

Understanding , Sense , Madness

“But this priviledge, is allayed by another; and that is, by the priviledge of Absurdity; to which no living creature is subject, but man only.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 5, p. 20
Leviathan (1651)

“The same, without such opinion, DESPAIRE.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 6, p. 25
Leviathan (1651)

Despair

“Of all Discourse, governed by desire of Knowledge, there is at last an End, either by attaining, or by giving over.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 7, p. 30
Leviathan (1651)

Knowledge

“Time, and Industry, produce everyday new knowledge.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The Second Part, Chapter 30, p. 176
Leviathan (1651)

Knowledge , Time

“A naturall foole that could never learn by heart the order of numerall words, as one, two, and three, may observe every stroak of the Clock, and nod to it, or say one, one, one; but can never know what houre it strikes.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 4, p. 14
Leviathan (1651)

Fools , Learning , Heart

“From the same it proceedeth, that men gives different names, to one and the same thing, from the difference of their own passions: As they that approve a private opinion, call it Opinion; but they that mislike it, Haeresie: and yet haeresie signifies no more than private opinion; but has only agreater tincture of choler”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 11, p. 50
Leviathan (1651)

Men , Passion

“Understanding being nothing else, but conception caused by Speech.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 4, p. 17
Leviathan (1651)

Understanding

“When two, or more men, know of one and the same fact, they are said to be CONSCIOUS of it one to another; which is as much as to know it together.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 7, p. 31
Leviathan (1651)

Men

“And hereby it comes to passe, that Intemperance, is naturally punished with Diseases; Rashness, with Mischance; Injustice; with Violence of Enemies; Pride, with Ruine; Cowardice, with Oppression; Negligent government of Princes, with Rebellion; and Rebellion with Slaughter.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The Second Part, Chapter 31, p. 194
Leviathan (1651)

Disease , Nature

“The source of every Crime, is some defect of the Understanding; or some error in Reasoning; or some sudden force of the Passions.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The Second Part, Chapter 27, p. 152
Leviathan (1651)

Passion , Error , Understanding

“Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of Warre, where every man is Enemy to every man; the same is consequent to the time, wherein men live without other security, than what their own strength, and their own invention shall furnish them withall. In such condition, there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving, and removing things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The First Part, Chapter 13, p. 62
Leviathan (1651)

Fear , Time , Art , Knowledge

“The source of every Crime, is some defect of the Understanding; or some error in Reasoning, or some sudden force of the Passions. Defect in the Understanding, is Ignorance; in Reasoning, Erroneous Opinion.”

Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan

The Second Part, Chapter 27, p. 152
Leviathan (1651)

Understanding , Passion , Error