Thomas Hobbes
The passions of men are commonly more potent than their reason.Collection: Passion
Wisdom, properly so called, is nothing else but this: the perfect knowledge of the truth in all matters whatsoever.Collection: Wisdom
The first and fundamental law of Nature, which is, to seek peace and follow it.Collection: Law
And as in other things, so in men, not the seller, but the buyer determines the Price.Collection: Men
To this war of every man against every man, this also in consequent; that nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice have there no place. Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice. Force, and fraud, are in war the cardinal virtues.Collection: War
For there are very few so foolish who would not rather govern themselves than be governed by others.Collection: Liberty
For if all things were equally in all men, nothing would be prized.Collection: Equality
It is fairer to tax people on what they extract from the economy, as roughly measured by their consumption, than to tax them on what they produce for the economy, as roughly measured by their income.Collection: People
As in the presence of the Master, the Servants are equall, and without any honour at all; So are the Subjects, in the presence of the Soveraign. And though they shine some more, some lesse, when they are out of his sight; yet in his presence, they shine no more than the Starres in presence of the Sun.Collection: Sight
Another doctrine repugnant to Civill Society, is that whatsoever a man does against his Conscience, is Sinne ; and it dependeth on the presumption of making himself judge of Good and Evill. For a man's Conscience and his Judgement are the same thing, and as the Judgement, so also the Conscience may be erroneous.Collection: Men
The most noble and profitable invention of all other, was that of SPEECH, consisting of Names or Appellations, and their Connexion; whereby men register their Thoughts; recall them when they are past; and also declare them one to another for mutuall utility and conversation; without which, there had been amongst men, neither Commonwealth, nor Society, nor Contract, nor Peace, no more than amongst Lyons, Bears, and Wolves.Collection: Science
The law is more easily understood by few than many words. For all words are subject to ambiguity, and therefore multiplication of words in the body of the law is multiplication of ambiguity. Besides, it seems to imply (by too much diligence) that whosoever can evade the words is without the compass of the law.Collection: Law
The first cause of Absurd conclusions I ascribe to the want of Method.Collection: Want
Because waking I often observe the absurdity of dreams, but never dream of the absurdities of my waking thoughts, I am well satisfied that being awake, I know I dream not; though when I dream, I think myself awake.Collection: Dream
The Interpretation of the Laws of Nature in a Common-wealth, dependeth not on the books of Moral Philosophy. The Authority of writers, without the Authority of the Commonwealth, maketh not their opinions Law, be they never so true.Collection: Philosophy
Heresy is a word which, when it is used without passion, signifies a private opinion. So the different sects of the old philosophers, Academians, Peripatetics, Epicureans, Stoics, &c., were called heresies.Collection: Passion
But yet they that have no Science , are in better, and nobler condition with their naturall Prudence; than men, that by their mis-reasoning, or by trusting them that reason wrong, fall upon false and absurd generall rules.Collection: Fall
From whence it happens, that they which trust to books, do as they that cast up many little sums into a greater, without considering whether those little sums were rightly cast up or not; and at last finding the error visible, and not mistrusting their first grounds, know not which way to clear themselves; but spend time in fluttering over their books, as birds that entering by the chimney, and finding themselves enclosed in a chamber, flutter at the false light of a glass window, for want of wit to consider which way they came in.Collection: Book
Men looke not at the greatnesse of the evill past, but the greatnesse of the good to follow.Collection: Past
By how much one man has more experience of things past, than another, by so much also he is more prudent, and his expectations the seldomer fail him.Collection: Past
And whereas many men, by accident unevitable, become unable to maintain themselves by their labour; they ought not to be left to the Charity of private persons; but to be provided for, (as far-forth as the necessities of Nature require,) by the Lawes of the Common-wealth. For as it is Unchariablenesse in any man, to neglect the impotent; so it is in the Soveraign of a Common-wealth, to expose them to the hazard of such uncertain Charity.Collection: Men
When it happeneth that a man signifieth unto us two contradictory opinions whereof the one is clearly and directly signified, andthe other either drawn from that by consequence, or not known to be contradictory to it; then (when he is not present to explicate himself better) we are to take the former of his opinions; for that is clearly signified to be his, and directly, whereas the other might proceed from error in the deduction, or ignorance of the repugnancy.Collection: Ignorance
If this superstitious fear of Spirits were taken away, and with it, Prognostiques from Dreams, false Prophecies, and many other things depending thereon, by which, crafty ambitious persons abuse the simple people, men would be much more fitted then they are for civill Obedience.Collection: Dream
For after the subject is removed or the eye shut, we still retain an image of the things seen, though more obscure than when we see it...Imagination, therefore, is nothing more than decaying sense.Collection: Eye
Man is distinguished not only by his reason, but also by this singular passion, from all other animals.Collection: Passion
Prudence is but experience, which equal time equally bestows on all men in those things they equally apply themselves unto.Collection: Men
I shall be glad then to find a hole to creep out of the world.Collection: Atheism
And in these four things, opinion of ghosts , ignorance of second causes, devotion towards what men fear , and taking of things casual for prognostics , consisteth the natural seed of religion ; which by reason of the different fancies, judgments and passions of several men, has grown up into ceremonies so different, that those which are used by one man, are for the most part ridiculous to another.Collection: Ignorance
Words are wise men's counters, they do but reckon by them: but they are the money of fools, that value them by the authority of an Aristotle, a Cicero, or a Thomas, or any other doctor whatsoever, if but a man.Collection: Wise
Whatsoever is the object of any man's Appetite or Desire; that is it which he for his part calleth Good: and the object of his Hate and Aversion, evil.Collection: Hate
No mans error becomes his own Law; nor obliges him to persist in it.Collection: Mistake
Opinion of ghosts, ignorance of second causes, devotion to what men fear, and talking of things casual for prognostics, consisteth the natural seeds of religionCollection: Ignorance
Thoughts are to the Desires as Scouts and Spies, to range abroad, and find the way to the things Desired.Collection: Spy
And because the condition of Man, (as hath been declared in the precedent Chapter) is a condition of Warre of every one against everyone; in which case every one is governed by his own Reason; and there is nothing he can make use of, that may not be a help unto him, in preserving his life against his enemyes; It followeth, that in such a condition, every man has a Right to every thing; even to one anothers body.Collection: Men
Leisure can be one of the Mothers of Philosophy.Collection: Mother
The value of all things contracted for, is measured by the appetite of the contractors, and therefore the just value is that which they be contented to give.Collection: Giving
It is manifest therefore that they who have sovereign power, are immediate rulers of the church under Christ, and all others but subordinate to them. If that were not, but kings should command one thing upon pain of death, and priests another upon pain of damnation, it would be impossible that peace and religion should stand together.Collection: Kings
As a draft-animal is yoked in a wagon, even so the spirit is yoked in this bodyCollection: Animal
Science [is] knowledge of the truth of Propositions and how things are called.Collection: Propositions
This is that law of the Gospel; whatsoever you require that others should do to you, that do ye to them.Collection: Law
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.Collection: Math
Geometry is the only science that it hath pleased God hitherto to bestow on mankind.Collection: God
It is many times with a fraudulent Design that men stick their corrupt Doctrine with the Cloves of other mens Wit.Collection: Men
He that is to govern a whole Nation , must read in himself, not this, or that particular man; but Mankind; which though it be hard to do, harder than to learn any Language, or Science; yet, when I shall have set down my own reading orderly, and perspicuously, the pains left another, will be only to consider, if he also find not the same in himself. For this kind of Doctrine, admitteth no other Demonstration.Collection: Pain
Moral philosophy is nothing else but the science of what is good, and evil, in the conversation, and society of mankind. Good, and evil, are names that signify our appetites, and aversions; which in different tempers, customs, and doctrines of men, are different.Collection: Philosophy
What reason is there that he which laboreth much, and, sparing the fruits of his labor, consumeth little, should be more charged than he that, living idly, getteth little and spendeth all he gets, seeing the one hath no more protection from the commonwealth than the other?Collection: Liberty
If we could suppose a great multitude of men to consent to the observation of justice, and other laws of Nature, without a common Power to keep them all in awe; we might as well suppose all mankind to do the same; and then there neither would be nor need to be any civil government or commonwealth at all, because there would be Peace without subjection.Collection: Men
From whence it follows, that were the publique and private interest are most closely united, there is the publique most advanced.Collection: Interest
For as to the strength of body, the weakest has strength enough to kill the strongest, either by secret machination or by confederacy with others that are in the same danger with himselfCollection: Secret