David Hume Quotes

Philosopher

David Hume, born on May 7, 1711, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and died on August 25, 1776, was an outstanding philosopher, historian, and economist. Known for his contributions to empiricism and skepticism, his works have had a profound impact on subsequent philosophy, economics, and psychology.

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Famous David Hume Quotes

“Nothing endears so much a friend as sorrow for his death. The pleasure of his company has not so powerful an influence.”

Pleasure Powerful Company Influence Sorrow

Book:Essays Moral, Political, and Literary

Source: Essays Moral, Political, and Literary

“The more instances we examine, and the more care we employ, the more assurance shall we acquire, that the enumeration, which we form from the whole, is complete and entire.”

Whole Care Form Instance Acquire Assurance

Book:An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Source: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

“The gazing populace receive greedily, without examination, whatever soothes superstition and promotes wonder.”

Wonder Superstitions Examination Gazing

Book:Essays: Moral, Political and Literary

Source: Essays: Moral, Political and Literary

“The Crusades - the most signal and most durable monument of human folly that has yet appeared in any age or nation.”

Humans Age Nations Folly Signals Monument Crusades Human Folly

Book:The History of England, vol. 1~6, Completed: Revision of Great Book

Source: The History of England, vol. 1~6, Completed: Revision of Great Book

“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”

Different Facts Law Culture Water Moral Practice Flow Gravity Different Place Different Cultures Different Directions Objectivism

Author:David Hume

“The bigotry of theologians is a malady which seems almost incurable.”

Seems Bigotry Theologian Malady

Author:David Hume

“When I shall be dead, the principles of which I am composed will still perform their part in the universe, and will be equally useful in the grand fabric, as when they composed this individual creature. The difference to the whole will be no greater betwixt my being in a chamber and in the open air. The one change is of more importance to me than the other; but not more so to the universe.”

Stills Whole Universe Individual Differences Principles Greater Air Creatures Importance Fabric Chamber

Book:Essays Moral, Political, and Literary

Source: Essays Moral, Political, and Literary

“I am apt to suspect the Negroes to be naturally inferior to the Whites. There scarcely ever was a civilization of their complexion, nor even any individual, eminent either in action or speculation.”

Action Individual Race Civilization Suspects Inferiors Speculation Complexion

Book:Essays: Moral, Political and Literary

Source: Essays: Moral, Political and Literary

“Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients: action, pleasure and indolence.”

Humans Feelings Seems Action Happiness Three Pleasure Ingredients Indolence Human Happiness

Book:Essays and treatises on several subjects: essays, moral, political and literary

Source: Essays and treatises on several subjects: essays, moral, political and literary

“It is with books as with women, where a certain plainness of manner and of dress is more engaging than that glare of paint and airs and apparel which may dazzle the eye, but reaches not the affections.”

May Book Eye Certain Air Dresses Paint Affection Engaging Glare Dazzle Apparel Plainness

Book:Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)

“The consequence of a very free commerce between the sexes, and of their living much together, will often terminate in intrigues and gallantry.”

Men Together Sex Men And Women Consequence Commerce Intrigue E Commerce Gallantry

Book:Essays and Treatises on several subjects, etc. New edition

Source: Essays and Treatises on several subjects, etc. New edition

“A pleasant comedy, which paints the manners of the age, and exposes a faithful picture of nature, is a durable work, and is transmitted to the latest posterity. But a system, whether physical or metaphysical, commonly owes its success to its novelty; and is no sooner canvassed with impartiality than its weakness is discovered.”

Age Comedy Weakness Paint Manners Faithful Pleasant Metaphysical Posterity Novelty Impartiality

Book:The History of England, vol. 1~6, Completed: Revision of Great Book

Source: The History of England, vol. 1~6, Completed: Revision of Great Book

“Apart from the representational content of an idea there is another component: its force and vivacity, its impetus.”

Ideas Force Components Impetus Vivacity

Author:David Hume

“We have no other notion of cause and effect, but that of certain objects, which have always conjoin'd together, and which in all past instances have been found inseparable. We cannot penetrate into the reason of the conjunction. We only observe the thing itself, and always find that from the constant conjunction the objects acquire an union in the imagination.”

Has Beens Reason Together Past Science Certain Found Causes Imagination Effects Objects Constant Unions Notion Instance Acquire Penetrate Inseparable Cause And Effect Conjunctions

Author:David Hume

“There is nothing, in itself, valuable or despicable, desirable or hateful, beautiful or deformed; but that these attributes arise from the particular constitution and fabric of human sentiment and affection.”

Humans Beautiful Science Values Particular Constitution Affection Valuable Arise Sentiments Attributes Fabric Desirable Hateful Despicable

Book:Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)

About the Author

Born: May 7, 1711
Died: August 25, 1776
Known for: Philosopher
Quotes: 415

Books & Sources

Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)Related source material

An Enquiry Concerning Human UnderstandingRelated source material

A Treatise of Human NatureRelated source material

A Treatise of Human Nature: Top Philosophy CollectionsRelated source material

An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of MoralsRelated source material

Essays Moral, Political, and LiteraryRelated source material

Essays and Treatises on Several SubjectsRelated source material

Essays and Treatises on several subjects, etc. New editionRelated source material

Essays and treatises on several subjects: essays, moral, political and literaryRelated source material

The Philosophical Works: Including All the Essays, and Exhibiting the More Important Alterations and Corrections in the Successive Ed. Publ. by the AuthorRelated source material

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