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Nothing is more usual than for philosophers to encroach upon the province of grammarians; and to engage in disputes of words, while they imagine that they are handling controversies of the deepest importance and concern

David Hume

If subjects must never resist, it follows that every prince, without any effort, policy, or violence, is at once rendered absolute and uncontrollable.
DAVID HUME

Effort Follow Philosophy Resist Violence
A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature.
DAVID HUME

Law Miracle Nature One Liner
I weigh the one miracle against the other and according to the superiority which I discover, I pronounce my decision.
DAVID HUME

Decision Discover Miracle Myself Pronounce Weight
The victory is not gained by the men at arms, who manage the pike and the sword; but by the trumpeters, drummers, and musicians of the army.
DAVID HUME

Gain Man Music Victory War
Where am I, or what? From what causes do I derive my existence, and to what condition shall I return?
DAVID HUME

Condition Exist Philosophy Return
Any pride or haughtiness, is displeasing to us, merely because it shocks our own pride, and leads us by sympathy into comparison, which causes the disagreeable passion of humility.
DAVID HUME

Compare Haunt Passion Philosophy Pride Sympathy
It is an absurdity to believe that the Deity has human passions, and one of the lowest of human passions, a restless appetite for applause
DAVID HUME

Believe Deity God Human Low Passion Philosophy
A purpose, an intention, a design, strikes everywhere even the careless, the most stupid thinker.
DAVID HUME

Care Design Purpose Stupidity Think
The fact that different cultures have different practices no more refutes [moral] objectivism than the fact that water flows in different directions in different places refutes the law of gravity.
DAVID HUME

Culture Different Direction Fact Law Place Water
To philosophers and historians, the madness and imbecile wickedness of mankind ought to appear ordinary events.
DAVID HUME

Appear History Mad Ordinary Philosophy
Men’s views of things are the result of their understanding alone. Their conduct is regulated by their understanding, their temper, and their passions.
DAVID HUME

Alone Man Passion Philosophy Result Temper Thing Understand
As every inquiry which regards religion is of the utmost importance, there are two questions in particular which challenge our attention, to wit, that concerning its foundation in reason, and that concerning it origin in human nature.
DAVID HUME

Attention Challenge Deep Foundation Human Important Philosophy Reason Religious
Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.
DAVID HUME

Beautiful Different Exist Mind Philosophy Quality Thing
All knowledge degenerates into probability.
DAVID HUME

Knowledge One Liner
Epicurus’s old questions are still unanswered: Is he (God) willing to prevent evil, but not able? then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? then whence evil?
DAVID HUME

Answer Deep Evil Old Question
All sentiment is right; because sentiment has a reference to nothing beyond itself, and is always real, wherever a man is conscious of it.
DAVID HUME

Always Conscious Man Real Reference Right

Nothing is more usual than for philosophers to encroach upon the province of grammarians; and to engage in disputes of words, while they imagine that they are handling controversies of the deepest importance and concern

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Nothing is more usual than for philosophers to encroach upon the province of grammarians; and to engage in disputes of words, while they imagine that they are handling controversies of the deepest importance and concern

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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