“Firmness or stiffness of the mind is not from adherence to truth, but submission to prejudice.”
Source: An essay concerning human understanding ... The twentieth edition, etc
“To be rational is so glorious a thing, that two-legged creatures generally content themselves with the title.”
Source: The Works of John Locke: In Nine Volumes
“If all be a Dream, then he doth but dream that he makes the Question; and so it is not much matter that a waking Man should answer him.”
Source: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
“As much land as a man tills, plants, improves, cultivated, and can use the product of, so much is his property. He by his labour does, as it were, enclose it from the common.”
Source: The Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration
“Whoever uses force without Right ... puts himself into a state of War with those, against whom he uses it, and in that state all former Ties are canceled, all other Rights cease, and every one has a Right to defend himself, and to resist the Aggressor.”
Source: The Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration
“Is it worth the name of freedom to be at liberty to play the fool?”
Source: Philosophical Works: Preliminary discourse by the editor. On the conduct of the understanding. An essay concerning human understanding
“[Individuals] have a right to defend themselves and recover by force what by unlawful force is taken from them.”
Source: Second Treatise of Government and a Letter Concerning Toleration
“[I]t being reasonable and just, I should have a right to destroy that which threatens me with destruction: for by the fundamental law of nature, man being to be preserved as much as possible, when all cannot be preserved, the safety of the innocent is to be preferred: and one may destroy a man who makes war upon him, or has discovered an enmity to his being, for the same reason that he may kill a Wolf or a lion.”
Source: The Second Treatise of Government: (An Essay Concerning the True Original, Extent and End of Civil Government), And, A Letter Concerning Toleration
“[H]e that thinks absolute power purifies men's blood, and corrects the baseness of human nature, need read the history of this, or any other age, to be convinced to the contrary.”
Source: The Second Treatise of Civil Government
“Those are not at all to be tolerated who deny the being of God. Promises, covenants, and oaths, which are the bonds of human society, can have no hold upon an atheist. The taking away of God, though but even in thought, dissolves all.”
Source: Locke: Political Writings
“Curiosity in children ... is but an appetite after knowledge and therefore ought to be encouraged in them, not only as a good sign, but as the great instrument nature has provided to remove that ignorance they were born with and which, without this busy inquisitiveness, will make them dull and useless creatures.”
Source: Some Thoughts Concerning Education: (Including Of the Conduct of the Understanding)
“There is no such way to gain admittance, or give defence to strange and absurd Doctrines, as to guard them round about with Legions of obscure, doubtful, and undefin'd Words.”
Source: The Works of John Locke Esq: In Three Volumes. The Contents of which Follow in the Next Leaf. With Alphabetical Tables. ...
“The greatest part of mankind ... are given up to labor, and enslaved to the necessity of their mean condition; whose lives are worn out only in the provisions for living.”
Source: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
“The chief art of learning is to attempt but a little at a time.”
“He that has his chains knocked off, and the prison doors set open to him, is perfectly at liberty, because he may either go or stay, as he best likes; though his preference be determined to stay, by the darkness of the night, or illness of the weather, or want of other lodging.”
Source: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
“If to break loose from the bounds of reason, and to want that restraint of examination and judgment which keeps us from choosing or doing the worst, be liberty, true liberty, madmen and fools are the only freemen: but yet, I think, nobody would choose to be mad for the sake of such liberty, but he that is mad already.”
“All the entertainment and talk of history is nothing almost but fighting and killing: and the honour and renown that is bestowed on conquerors (who for the most part are but the great butchers of mankind) farther mislead growing youth, who by this means come to think slaughter the laudable business of mankind, and the most heroic of virtues.”
Source: Some Thoughts concerning Education ... The eleventh edition
“There are a thousand ways to Wealth, but only one way to Heaven.”
Source: The Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration
“In short, herein seems to lie the difference between idiots and madmen, that madmen put wrong ideas together, and so make wrong propositions, but argue and reason right from them: but idiots make very few or no propositions, and reason scarce at all.”
Source: An essay concerning human understanding ... The twentieth edition, etc
“It is hard to know what other way men can come to truth, to lay hold of it, if they do not dig and search for it as for gold and hid treasure; but he that does so, must have much earth and rubbish, before he gets the pure metal; sand, and pebbles, and dross usually lie blended with it, but the gold is nevertheless gold, and will enrich the man that employs his pains to seek and separate it.”
Source: The Works of John Locke
“If the Gospel and the Apostles may be credited, no man can be a Christian without charity, and without that faith which works, not by force, but by love.”
Source: Works
“Every man carries about him a touchstone, if he will make use of it, to distinguish substantial gold from superficial glitterings, truth from appearances. And indeed the use and benefit of this touchstone, which is natural reason, is spoiled and lost only by assuming prejudices, overweening presumption, and narrowing our minds.”
Source: An essay concerning human understanding. Also, extr. from the author's works, i. Analysis of mr. Locke's doctrine of ideas [&c.].
“When Fashion hath once Established, what Folly or craft began, Custom makes it Sacred, and 'twill be thought impudence or madness, to contradict or question it.”
Source: Two Treatises of Government: In the Former the False Principles & Foundation of Sir Robert Filmer & His Followers, are Detected & Overthrown; the Latter is an Essay Concerning the True Original, Extent & End of Civil Government
“We are born with faculties and powers capable almost of anything, such at least as would carry us farther than can easily be imagined: but it is only the exercise of those powers, which gives us ability and skill in any thing, and leads us towards perfection.”
Source: Essay on human understanding concluded. Defence of Mr. Locke's opinion concerning personal identity. Of the conduct of the understanding. Some thoughts concerning reading and study for a gentleman. Elements of natural philosophy. A new method of a common-place-book
“I am sure, zeal or love for truth can never permit falsehood to be used in the defense of it.”
Source: The Works of John Locke: The reasonableness of Christianity. A vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity, from Mr. Edward's reflections. A second vindication
“Brutes abstract not. -- If it may be doubted, whether beasts compound and enlarge their ideas, that way, to any degree; this, I think, I may be positive in, that the power of abstracting is not at all in them; and that the having of general ideas is that which puts a perfect distinction betwixt man and brutes, and is an excellency which the faculties of brutes do by no means attain to.”
Source: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (Complete)
“A father would do well, as his son grows up, and is capable of it, to talk familiarly with him; nay, ask his advice, and consult with him about those things wherein he has any knowledge or understanding. By this, the father will gain two things, both of great moment. The sooner you treat him as a man, the sooner he will begin to be one; and if you admit him into serious discourses sometimes with you, you will insensibly raise his mind above the usual amusements of youth, and those trifling occupations which it is commonly wasted in.”
“As it is in the body, so it is in the mind; practice makes it what it is, and most even of those excellencies, what are looked on as natural endowments, will be found, when examined into more narrowly, to be the product of exercise, and to be raised to that pitch, only by repeated actions.”
Source: Locke's essays. An essay concerning human understanding. And A treatise on the conduct of the understanding. With the author's last additions
“The native and untaught suggestions of inquisitive children do often offer things, that may set a considering man's thoughts on work. And I think there is frequently more to be learn'd from the unexpected questions of a child than the discourses of men, who talk in a road, according to the notions they have borrowed, and the prejudices of their education.”
Source: Locke, Berkely & Hume
“Power to do good is the true and lawful act of aspiring; for good thoughts (though God accept them), yet towards men are little better than good dreams, except they be put in act; and that cannot be without power and place, as the vantage and commanding ground.”
Source: The Conduct of the Understanding. By J. Locke ... Essays ... By Lord Bacon. With Sketches of the Lives of Locke and Bacon
“Inuring children gently to suffer some degrees of pain without shrinking, is a way to gain firmness to their minds, and lay a foundation for courage and resolution in the future part of their lives.”
Source: Some Thoughts Concerning Education
“Man is not permitted without censure to follow his own thoughts in the search of truth, when they lead him ever so little out of the common road.”
Source: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding: An analysis of Mr. Locke's Doctrine of ideas .... A defense of Mr. Locke's Opinion concerning personal identity .... A treatise on the conduct of the understanding. Some thoughts concerning reading and study for a gentleman. Elements of natural philosophy. A new method of a common place book. Extracted from the author's works. With a life of the author
“All rising to great place is by a winding stair; and if there be factions, it is good to side a man's self whilst he is in the rising, and to balance himself when he is placed.”
Source: The Conduct of the Understanding; By John Locke ... Essays, Moral, Economical, and Political; by Francis Bacon
“It is therefore worthwhile, to search out the bounds between opinion and knowledge; and examine by what measures, in things, whereof we have no certain knowledge, we ought to regulate our assent, and moderate our persuasions.”
Source: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
“Men in great place are thrice servants; servants of the sovereign state, servants of fame, and servants of business; so as they have no freedom, neither in their persons, nor in their actions, nor in their times. It is a strange desire to seek power and to lose liberty; or to seek power over others, and to lose power over a man's self.”
Source: The Conduct of the Understanding: With Sketches of the Lives of Locke and Bacon
“Children have as much mind to show that they are free, that their own good actions come from themselves, that they are absolute and independent, as any of the proudest of you grown men, think of them as you please.”
Source: Some Thoughts Concerning Education: And, Of the Conduct of the Understanding
“It is ambition enough to be employed as an under-labourer in clearing the ground a little, and removing some of the rubbish that lies in the way to knowledge.”
Source: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
“He that denies any of the doctrines that Christ has delivered, to be true, denies him to be sent from God, and consequently to be the Messiah; and so ceases to be a Christian.”
Source: The Works of John Locke: The reasonableness of Christianity. A vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity, from Mr. Edward's reflections. A second vindication
“Curiosity should be as carefully cherish'd in children, as other appetites suppress'd.”
Source: Some Thoughts concerning Education ... The eighth edition
“Slavery is so vile and miserable an Estate of Man, and so directly opposite to the generous Temper and Courage of our Nation; that 'tis hardly to be conceived, that an Englishman, much less a Gentleman, should plead for't.”
Source: Locke: Two Treatises of Government
“Thus parents, by humouring and cockering them when little, corrupt the principles of nature in their children, and wonder afterwards to taste the bitter waters, when they themselves have poison'd the fountain.”
Source: Locke, Berkely & Hume
“Since the great foundation of fear is pain, the way to harden and fortify children against fear and danger is to accustom them to suffer pain.”
Source: Locke, Berkely & Hume
“He would be laughed at, that should go about to make a fine dancer out of a country hedger, at past fifty. And he will not have much better success, who shall endeavour, at that age, to make a man reason well, or speak handsomely, who has never been used to it, though you should lay before him a collection of all the best precepts of logic or oratory.”
Source: An essay concerning human understanding ... The twentieth edition, etc
“Merit and good works is the end of man's motion; and conscience of the same is the accomplishment of man's rest; for if a man can be partaker of God's theatre, he shall likewise be partaker of God's rest.”
Source: The Conduct of the Understanding. By J. Locke ... Essays ... By Lord Bacon. With Sketches of the Lives of Locke and Bacon
“Defects and weakness in men's understandings, as well as other faculties, come from want of a right use of their own minds; I am apt to think, the fault is generally mislaid upon nature, and there is often a complaint of want of parts, when the fault lies in want of a due improvement of them.”
Source: Some Thoughts Concerning Education: (Including Of the Conduct of the Understanding)
“If we trace the progress of our minds, and with attention observe how it repeats, adds together, and unites its simple ideas received from sensation or reflection, it will lead us farther than at first, perhaps, we should have imagined.”
Source: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
“For those who either perceive but dully, or retain the ideas that come into their minds but ill, who cannot readily excite or compound them, will have little matter to think on.”
Source: Locke's essays. An essay concerning human understanding. And A treatise on the conduct of the understanding. With the author's last additions
“I pretend not to teach, but to inquire.”
Source: The Works of John Locke: Letters to the Right Rev. Edward lord bishop of Worcester, concerning Mr. Locke's Essay of human understanding. Mr. Locke's reply. Answer to Remarks upon an Essay concerning human understanding. Mr. Locke's reply
“A king is a mortal god on earth, unto whom the living God hath lent his own name as a great honour; but withal told him, he should die like a man, lest he should be proud, and flatter himself that God hath with his name imparted unto him his nature also.”
Source: The Conduct of the Understanding: Essays, Moral, Economical, and Political
“It is practice alone that brings the powers of the mind, as well as those of the body, to their perfection.”
Source: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
