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Thomas Hobbes Quotes

Philosopher

Thomas Hobbes, a British philosopher, politician, historian, economist, and writer, was born on April 5, 1588, in Wiltshire, and died on December 4, 1679, in Oxford, England. Hobbes is considered one of the most important philosophers of the 17th century, known for his profound analysis of the state, society, and human behavior.

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All Men Leviathan Ifs May Law Reason Causes Desire Mind Opinion War Body Every Man Atheism Common Firsts Liberty Passion Positive Atheism God

Famous Thomas Hobbes Quotes

“Ignorance of the law is no good excuse, where every man is bound to take notice of the laws to which he is subject.”

Men Law Subjects Ignorance Bounds Excuse Every Man Ignorance Of The Law

Book:The Moral and Political Works To which is Prefixed the Autors Life, Extracted from that Said to be Written by Himself ... Illustr. by the Ed. - London 1750

Source: The Moral and Political Works To which is Prefixed the Autors Life, Extracted from that Said to be Written by Himself ... Illustr. by the Ed. - London 1750

“For such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned, yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves, for they see their own wit at hand, and other men's at a distance. But this proveth rather that men are in that point equal, than unequal. For there is not ordinarily a greater sign of the equal distribution of any thing than that every man is contented with his share.”

Men Believe May Wisdom Hands Greater Wise Share Equal Distance Witty Wit Every Man Acknowledge Distribution Eloquent Nature Of Man

Book:The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury

Source: The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury

“Every man may think his own cause just till it be heard and judged.”

Thinking Men May Causes Heard Every Man Judged

Book:The Moral and Political Works To which is Prefixed the Autors Life, Extracted from that Said to be Written by Himself ... Illustr. by the Ed. - London 1750

Source: The Moral and Political Works To which is Prefixed the Autors Life, Extracted from that Said to be Written by Himself ... Illustr. by the Ed. - London 1750

“But all this language gotten, and augmented by Adam and his posterity, was again lost at the tower of Babel , when by the hand of God, every man was stricken for his rebellion, with an oblivion of his former language.”

Men Hands Lost Language Every Man Former Rebellion Adam Towers Oblivion Posterity Hands Of God Babel Tower Of Babel

Book:The Moral and Political Works To which is Prefixed the Autors Life, Extracted from that Said to be Written by Himself ... Illustr. by the Ed. - London 1750

Source: The Moral and Political Works To which is Prefixed the Autors Life, Extracted from that Said to be Written by Himself ... Illustr. by the Ed. - London 1750

“And seeing every man is presumed to do all things in order to his own benefit, no man is a fit Arbitrator in his own cause”

Men Order Causes Seeing Fit Benefits All Things Every Man

Book:Leviathan, Parts I and II - Revised Edition

Source: Leviathan, Parts I and II - Revised Edition

“And because the condition of Man, (as hath been declared in the precedent Chapter) is a condition of Warre of every one against everyone; in which case every one is governed by his own Reason; and there is nothing he can make use of, that may not be a help unto him, in preserving his life against his enemyes; It followeth, that in such a condition, every man has a Right to every thing; even to one anothers body.”

Men May Reason Helping Use Body Cases Conditions Every Man Chapters Precedent

Author:Thomas Hobbes

“But if one Subject giveth Counsell to another, to do anything contrary to the Lawes, whether that Counsell proceed from evil intention, or from ignorance onely, it is punishable by the Common-wealth; because igorance of the Law, is no good excuse, where every man is bound to take notice of the Lawes to which he is subject.”

Ifs Men Law Evil Wealth Common Subjects Ignorance Intention Bounds Excuse Contrary Every Man

Author:Thomas Hobbes

“If God bestowed immortality on every man then when he made him, and he made many to whom he never purposed to give his saving grace, what did his Lordship think that God gave any man immortality with purpose only to make him capable of immortal torments? It is a hard saying, and I think cannot piously be believed. I am sure it can never be proved by the canonical Scripture.”

Source: The Moral and Political Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury: Never Before Collected Together : To which is Prefixed, the Author's Life, Extracted from that Said to be Written by Himself, ...

“Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal. In such condition there is no place for industry... no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

Men Art War Earth Faces Poor Enemy Worst Conditions Security Danger Industry Letters Accounts Every Man Violent Invention Solitary Nasty Leviathan Violent Death Solitary Man

Author:Thomas Hobbes

“When all the world is overcharged with inhabitants, then the last remedy of all is war, which provideth for every man, by victory or death.”

Men World War Lasts Victory Every Man Remedy

Book:Leviathan

Source: Leviathan

“During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that conditions called war; and such a war, as if of every man, against every man.”

Ifs Men War Political Fear Common Conditions Every Man Awe Leviathan Authority And Power Perpetual War

Author:Thomas Hobbes

“To this war of every man against every man, this also in consequent; that nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice have there no place. Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice. Force, and fraud, are in war the cardinal virtues.”

Men War Law Political Force Justice Common Virtue Notion Injustice Every Man Fraud Unjust Cardinals Leviathan Justice And Injustice

Book:Leviathan

Source: Leviathan