John Locke
To ask at what time a man has first any ideas is to ask when he begins to perceive; having ideas and perception being the same thing.Collection: Men
Truth, like gold, is not less so for being newly brought out of the mine.Collection: Gold
I find every sect, as far as reason will help them, make use of it gladly: and where it fails them, they cry out, It is a matter of faith, and above reason.Collection: Religion
Words, in their primary or immediate signification, stand for nothing but the ideas in the mind of him who uses them.Collection: Ideas
All wealth is the product of labor.Collection: Philosophical
Practice conquers the habit of doing, without reflecting on the rule.Collection: Practice
A criminal who, having renounced reason ... hath, by the unjust violence and slaughter he hath committed upon one, declared war against all mankind, and therefore may be destroyed as a lion or tiger, one of those wild savage beasts with whom men can have no society nor security.Collection: War
The Church which taught men not to keep faith with heretics, had no claim to toleration.Collection: Men
Our Business here is not to know all things, but those which concern our conduct.Collection: Concern
So difficult it is to show the various meanings and imperfections of words when we have nothing else but words to do it with.Collection: Writing
Man is not permitted without censure to follow his own thoughts in the search of truth, when they lead him ever so little out of the common road.Collection: Men
Certain subjects yield a general power that may be applied in any direction and should be studied by all.Collection: Teacher
It is labour indeed that puts the difference on everything.Collection: Differences
The necessity of pursuing true happiness is the foundation of all liberty- Happiness, in its full extent, is the utmost pleasure we are capable of.Collection: Happiness
Habits wear more constantly and with greatest force than reason, which, when we have most need of it, is seldom fairly consulted, and more rarely obeyedCollection: Needs
In short, herein seems to lie the difference between idiots and madmen, that madmen put wrong ideas together, and so make wrong propositions, but argue and reason right from them: but idiots make very few or no propositions, and reason scarce at all.Collection: Lying
To understand political power right, and derive it from its original, we must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man.Collection: Men
As the magistrate has no power to impose by his laws the use of any rites and ceremonies in any church, so neither has he any power to forbid the use of such rites and ceremonies as are already received, approved, and practised by any church; because if he did so, he would destroy the church itself; the end of whose institution is only to worship God with freedom, after its own manner.Collection: Law
Children have as much mind to show that they are free, that their own good actions come from themselves, that they are absolute and independent, as any of the proudest of you grown men, think of them as you please.Collection: Children
Untruth being unacceptable to the mind of man, there is no other defence left for absurdity but obscurity.Collection: Men
He that would seriously set upon the search of truth, ought in the first place to prepare his mind with a love of it. For he that loves it not, will not take much pains to get it; nor be much concerned when he misses it.Collection: Pain
Though the water running in the fountain be every ones, yet who can doubt, but that in the pitcher is his only who drew it out?Collection: Running
To be rational is so glorious a thing, that two-legged creatures generally content themselves with the title.Collection: Two
[I]t being reasonable and just, I should have a right to destroy that which threatens me with destruction: for by the fundamental law of nature, man being to be preserved as much as possible, when all cannot be preserved, the safety of the innocent is to be preferred: and one may destroy a man who makes war upon him, or has discovered an enmity to his being, for the same reason that he may kill a Wolf or a lion.Collection: War
How then shall they have the play-games you allow them, if none must be bought for them?" I answer, they should make them themselves, or at least endeavour it, and set themselves about it. ...And if you help them where they are at a stand, it will more endear you to them than any chargeable toys that you shall buy for them.Collection: Games
The reservedness and distance that fathers keep, often deprive their sons of that refuge which would be of more advantage to them than an hundred rebukes or chidings.Collection: Father
The picture of a shadow is a positive thing.Collection: Shadow
Since the great foundation of fear is pain, the way to harden and fortify children against fear and danger is to accustom them to suffer pain.Collection: Children
He that judges without informing himself to the utmost that he is capable, cannot acquit himself of judging amissCollection: Judging
The Legislative cannot transfer the Power of Making Laws to any other hands. For it being but a delegated Power from the People, they who have it, cannot pass it over to others. The People alone can appoint the Form of the Commonwealth, which is by Constituting the Legislative, and appointing in whose hands that shall be.Collection: Hands
The care of souls cannot belong to the civil magistrate.Collection: Soul
Not time is the measure of movement but: ...each constant periodic appearance of ideas.Collection: Ideas
The native and untaught suggestions of inquisitive children do often offer things, that may set a considering man's thoughts on work. And I think there is frequently more to be learn'd from the unexpected questions of a child than the discourses of men, who talk in a road, according to the notions they have borrowed, and the prejudices of their education.Collection: Children
Set the mind to work, and apply the thoughts vigorously to the business, for it holds in the struggles of the mind, as in those of war, that to think we shall conquer is to conquer.Collection: Business
Reason, if consulted with, would advise, that their children's time should be spent in acquiring what might be useful to them when they come to be men, rather than to have their heads stuff'd with a deal of trash, a great part whereof they usually never do ('tis certain they never need to) think on again as long as they live: and so much of it as does stick by them they are only the worse for.Collection: Children
Thirdly, the supreme power cannot take from any man any part of his property without his own consent: for the preservation of property being the end of government, and that for which men enter into society, it necessarily supposes and requires, that the people should have property, without which they must be supposed to lose that, by entering into society, which was the end for which they entered into it; too gross an absurdity for any man to own.Collection: Men
It is hard to know what other way men can come to truth, to lay hold of it, if they do not dig and search for it as for gold and hid treasure; but he that does so, must have much earth and rubbish, before he gets the pure metal; sand, and pebbles, and dross usually lie blended with it, but the gold is nevertheless gold, and will enrich the man that employs his pains to seek and separate it.Collection: Pain
So that, in effect, religion, which should most distinguish us from beasts, and ought most peculiarly to elevate us, as rational creatures, above brutes, is that wherein men often appear most irrational, and more senseless than beasts themselves.Collection: Men
It is vain to find fault with those arts of deceiving wherein men find pleasure to be deceived.Collection: Art
Thus the law of nature stands as an eternal rule to all men, legislators as well as others. The rules that they make for other mens actions, must, as well as their own and other mens actions, be conformable to the law of nature, i.e. to the will of God, of which that is a declaration, and the fundamental law of nature being the preservation of mankind, no human sanction can be good, or valid against it.Collection: Men
There is no such way to gain admittance, or give defence to strange and absurd Doctrines, as to guard them round about with Legions of obscure, doubtful, and undefin'd Words.Collection: Giving
I am sure, zeal or love for truth can never permit falsehood to be used in the defense of it.Collection: Defense
The difference, so observable in men's understandings and parts, does not arise so much from their natural faculties, as acquired habits.Collection: Men
And because it may be too great a temptation to human frailty, apt to grasp at power, for the same persons, who have the power of making laws, to have also in their hands the power to execute them, whereby they may exempt themselves from obedience to the laws they make, and suit the law, both in its making, and execution, to their own private advantage.Collection: Hands
The only fence against the world is a thorough knowledge of it, into which a young gentleman should be enter'd by degrees, as he can bear it; and the earlier the better, so he be in safe and skillful hands to guide him.Collection: Hands
Curiosity in children ... is but an appetite after knowledge and therefore ought to be encouraged in them, not only as a good sign, but as the great instrument nature has provided to remove that ignorance they were born with and which, without this busy inquisitiveness, will make them dull and useless creatures.Collection: Children
Struggle is nature’s way of strengthening it.Collection: Struggle
Justice and truth are the common ties of society.Collection: Justice