50+ David Hume Quotes | Minimalist Quotes

I never knew anyone, that examined and deliberated about nonsense, who did not believe it before the end of his enquiries.
DAVID HUME

Believe Deep Examine Philosophy
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
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
It is difficult for a man to speak long of himself without vanity.
DAVID HUME

Difficult Man Philosophy Speak
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

Deep Imagination Important Philosophy War Word
The gazing populace receive greedily, without examination, whatever soothes superstition and promotes wonder.
DAVID HUME

Greedy Philosophy Wonder
In public affairs men are often better pleased that the truth, though known to everybody, should be wrapped up under a decent cover than if it were exposed in open daylight to the eyes of all the world.
DAVID HUME

Affair Day Decent Expose Eyes Man Public Truth World
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
Reading and sauntering and lounging and dosing, which I call thinking, is my supreme Happiness.
DAVID HUME

Happiness Read Think
Revolutions of government cannot be effected by the mere force of argument and reasoning.
DAVID HUME

Argument Force Government Politics Revolution
No man ever threw away life while it was worth keeping.
DAVID HUME

Life Man Worth
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
Heaven and Hell suppose two distinct species of men, the good and bad.
DAVID HUME

Bad Deep Good Heaven Hell Man Philosophy Religious
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
Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them
DAVID HUME

Beauty Contemplate Exist Mind Thing
He is happy whose circumstances suit his temper, but he is more excellent who can suit his temper to his circumstance.
DAVID HUME

Excellent Happiness Himself Philosophy Situation Temper
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
The feelings of our heart, the agitation of our passions, the vehemence of our affections, dissipate all its conclusions, and reduce the profound philosopher to a mere plebeian.
DAVID HUME

Affection Feeling Heart Passion Philosophy
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
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
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
A purpose, an intention, a design, strikes everywhere even the careless, the most stupid thinker.
DAVID HUME

Care Design Purpose Stupidity Think
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
Be a philosopher; but, amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.
DAVID HUME

Deep Man Philosophy
A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature.
DAVID HUME

Law Miracle Nature 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
When suicide is out of fashion we conclude that none but madmen destroy themselves.
DAVID HUME

Death Destroy Mental

David Hume Quotes

Famous Scottish philosophers