black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

A wise man apportions his beliefs to the evidence.

David Hume

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
The truth springs from arguments amongst friends.
DAVID HUME

Argument Friendship One Liner Season Truth
It is, therefore, a just political maxim, that every man must be supposed a knave.
DAVID HUME

Man Philosophy Politics
Tis not unreasonable for me to prefer the destruction of the whole world to the scratching of my finger.
DAVID HUME

Destruction Fingers Reason World
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
Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.
DAVID HUME

Obey Passion Reason Serve Slave
We should never know how to adjust means to ends, or to employ our natural powers in the production of any effect. There would be an end at once of all action, as well as of the chief part of speculation.
DAVID HUME

Action End Philosophy Power Product
All knowledge degenerates into probability.
DAVID HUME

Knowledge One Liner
I may venture to affirm of the rest of mankind, that they are nothing but a bundle or collection of different perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement.
DAVID HUME

Different Man Perspective Success
The identity that we ascribe to things is only a fictitious one, established by the mind, not a peculiar nature belonging to what we’re talking about.
DAVID HUME

Fiction Identity Mind Nature Talk Thing
Revolutions of government cannot be effected by the mere force of argument and reasoning.
DAVID HUME

Argument Force Government Politics Revolution
We make allowance for a certain degree of selfishness in men; because we know it to be inseparable from human nature, and inherent in our frame and constitution. By this reflexion we correct those sentiments of blame, which so naturally arise upon any opposition.
DAVID HUME

Allow Blame Human Man Philosophy Selfish Separate
The gazing populace receive greedily, without examination, whatever soothes superstition and promotes wonder.
DAVID HUME

Greedy Philosophy Wonder
The bigotry of theologians is a malady which seems almost incurable.
DAVID HUME

Cure Philosophy
Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions.
DAVID HUME

Passion Reason Slave
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 wise man apportions his beliefs to the evidence.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

A wise man apportions his beliefs to the evidence.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More David Hume Quotes