Home / Authors / George Berkeley

George Berkeley Quotes

Philosopher

George Berkeley, born on March 12, 1685, and died on January 12, 1753, was a renowned philosopher of the 18th century. He is best known for his idealist philosophy, advocating the view that existence is dependent on perception. His major works include 'Principles of Human Knowledge' and 'A New Theory of Vision'.

Filter quotes by topic

All Men Mind Ifs Thinking May Ideas Should Reason World Existence Humans Firsts Knows Mean My Own Body Liberty Principles Soul Way

Famous George Berkeley Quotes

“It is impossible that a man who is false to his friends and neighbours should be true to the public.”

Men Should Impossible Being True Neighbour

Author:George Berkeley

“The love of truth, virtue, and the happiness of mankind are specious pretexts, but not the inward principles that set divines at work; else why should they affect to abuse human reason, to disparage natural religion, to traduce the philosophers as they universally do?”

Should Humans Reason Truth Natural Principles Virtue Mankind Divine Abuse Philosopher Inward Pretext Human Reason

Book:Philosophical works

Source: Philosophical works

“That the discovery of this great truth, which lies so near and obvious to the mind, should be attained to by the reason of so veryfew, is a sad instance of the stupidity and inattention of men, who, though they are surrounded with such clear manifestations of the Deity, are yet so little affected by them, that they seem as it were blinded with excess of light.”

Source: A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge

“That food nourishes, sleep refreshes, and fire warms us; that to sow in the seed-time is the way to reap in the harvest, and, in general, that to obtain such or such ends, such or such means are conducive, all this we know, not by discovering any necessary connexion between our ideas, but only by the observation of the settled laws of nature, without which we should be all in uncertainty and confusion, and a grown man no more know how to manage himself in the affairs of life than an infant just born.”

Source: Principles of Human Knowledge

“I do not deny the existence of material substance merely because I have no notion of it, but because the notion of it is inconsistent, or in other words, because it is repugnant that there should be a notion of it.”

Should Existence Materials Notion Deny Substance Inconsistent

Book:Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous

Source: Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous

“I am apt to think, if we knew what it was to be an angel for one hour, we should return to this world, though it were to sit on the brightest throne in it, with vastly more loathing and reluctance than we would now descend into a loathsome dungeon or sepulchre.”

Ifs Thinking World Should Hours This World Return Angel Thrones Loathing One Hour Dungeons Reluctance

Book:The works of George Berkeley

Source: The works of George Berkeley

“It is a mistake, to think the same thing affects both sight and touch. If the same angle or square, which is the object of touch,be also the object of vision, what should hinder the blind man, at first sight, from knowing it?”

Ifs Thinking Men Should Firsts Mistake Vision Knowing Objects Sight Blind Squares Angle Hinder Blind Man

Book:The Works of George Berkeley, D.D., Bishop of Cloyne: Including His Letters to Thomas Prior, Esq., Dean Gervais, Mr. Pope, &c., &c. ; to which is Prefixed an Account of His Life

Source: The Works of George Berkeley, D.D., Bishop of Cloyne: Including His Letters to Thomas Prior, Esq., Dean Gervais, Mr. Pope, &c., &c. ; to which is Prefixed an Account of His Life

“In short, if there were external bodies, it is impossible we should ever come to know it; and if there were not, we might have the very same reasons to think there were that we have now.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Should Reason Body Might Impossible

Book:Principles of Human Knowledge: Human Understanding

Source: Principles of Human Knowledge: Human Understanding

“If we admit a thing so extraordinary as the creation of this world, it should seem that we admit something strange, and odd, and new to human apprehension, beyond any other miracle whatsoever.”

Ifs World Should Humans Seems Creation This World Strange Miracle Extraordinary Odd Apprehension

Book:The Works of George Berkeley, D.D., Bishop of Cloyne: Including His Letters to Thomas Prior, Esq., Dean Gervais, Mr. Pope, &c., &c. ; to which is Prefixed an Account of His Life

Source: The Works of George Berkeley, D.D., Bishop of Cloyne: Including His Letters to Thomas Prior, Esq., Dean Gervais, Mr. Pope, &c., &c. ; to which is Prefixed an Account of His Life