50+ David Hume Quotes | Minimalist Quotes

Liberty of any kind is never lost all at once
DAVID HUME

Freedom Liberty Lost One Liner
To philosophers and historians, the madness and imbecile wickedness of mankind ought to appear ordinary events.
DAVID HUME

Appear History Mad Ordinary Philosophy
A wise man apportions his beliefs to the evidence.
DAVID HUME

Believe Evidence Man One Liner Wise
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
All knowledge degenerates into probability.
DAVID HUME

Knowledge One Liner
no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous, than the fact, which it endeavors to establish.
DAVID HUME

Deep Establish False Kind Miracle Philosophy Sufficient
The Crusades – the most signal and most durable monument of human folly that has yet appeared in any age or nation.
DAVID HUME

Age Appear Human Monument Nation
Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions.
DAVID HUME

Passion Reason Slave
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
There is nothing to be learnt from a Professor, which is not to be met with in Books.
DAVID HUME

Book Deep Learning Philosophy
It is, therefore, a just political maxim, that every man must be supposed a knave.
DAVID HUME

Man Philosophy Politics
It is, therefore, a just political maxim, that every man must be supposed a knave.
DAVID HUME

Man Philosophy Politics
Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous.
DAVID HUME

Danger Deep Error Philosophy Religious Speak
But the life of a man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster.
DAVID HUME

Animal Deep Great Important Life Man Philosophy Universe
To be a philosophical Sceptic is the first and most essential step towards being a sound, believing Christian.
DAVID HUME

Believe History Philosophy Religious
The truth springs from arguments amongst friends.
DAVID HUME

Argument Friendship One Liner Season Truth
When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken, giving views to passion without that proper deliberation which alone can secure them from the grossest absurdities.
DAVID HUME

Alone Arrogant Man Mistake Passion Secure
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
How can we satisfy ourselves without going on in infinitum? And, after all, what satisfaction is there in that infinite progression?
DAVID HUME

Infinite Philosophy Satisfy
What a peculiar privilege has this little agitation of the brain which we call ‘thought’
DAVID HUME

Brain Philosophy Privilege Thought
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
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 bigotry of theologians is a malady which seems almost incurable.
DAVID HUME

Cure Philosophy
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 science of man is the only solid foundation for the other sciences.
DAVID HUME

Foundation Man Science
Carelessness and in-attention alone can afford us any remedy. For this reason I rely entirely upon them.
DAVID HUME

Afford Alone Attention Care Reason
But the greatest part of mankind float between vice and virtue.
DAVID HUME

Float Great Man Virtue

David Hume Quotes

Famous Scottish philosophers