Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by David Hume

Quote by David Hume

Work

A Treatise of Human Nature: Revision of Great Book

This book delves into the complexities of human behavior, examining the philosophical underpinnings of human nature, and presents a revised version of a seminal work in the field of philosophy. more

Author

David Hume
David Hume

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. more

You May Also Like

“When I think of God, when I think of him as existent, and when I believe him to be existent, my idea of him neither increases nordiminishes. But as it is certain there is a great difference betwixt the simple conception of the existence of an object, and the belief of it, and as this difference lies not in the parts or composition of the idea which we conceive; it follows, that it must lie in the manner in which we conceive it.”

ThinkingBelieveIdeasGodLyingCertainBeliefI BelieveDifferencesSimpleExistenceObjectsIncreaseConceptionCompositionBelief In God
Book:A Treatise of Human Nature
Create image

“There surely is a being who presides over the universe; and who, with infinite wisdom and power, has reduced the jarring elementsinto just order and proportion. Let speculative reasoners dispute, how far this beneficent being extends his care, and whether he prolongs our existence beyond the grave, in order to bestow on virtue its just reward, and render it fully triumphant.”

GodCareOrderUniverseExistenceVirtueInfiniteRewardsGravesProportionDisputesTriumphant
Book:Selected essays
Create image

“Learning has been as great a Loser by being shut up in Colleges and Cells, and secluded from the World and good Company. By that Means, every Thing of what we call Belles Lettres became totally barbarous, being cultivated by Men without any Taste of Life or Manners, and without that Liberty and Facility of Thought and Expression, which can only be acquir'd by Conversation.”

MenWorldMeanHas BeensCompanyLibertyLearningCollegeExpressionTasteConversationCellsMannersLoserShut UpFacilityGood CompanySecludedTaste Of Life
Book:Essays Moral, Political, and Literary
Create image

“It is evident, from their method of propagation, that a couple of cats, in fifty years, would stock a whole kingdom; and if that religious veneration were still paid them, it would, in twenty more, not only be easier in Egypt to find a god than a man, which Petronius says was the case in some parts of Italy; but the gods must at last entirely starve the men, and leave themselves neither priests nor votaries remaining.”

IfsMenYearsStillsWholeLastsReligiousCasesHe ManCoupleEasierCatPaidTwentiesMethodKingdomsFiftyPriestsEvidentEgyptVenerationPropagation
Book:A Dissertation on the Passions: The Natural History of Religion : a Critical Edition
Create image

“When I am convinced of any principle, it is only an idea which strikes more strongly upon me. When I give the preference to one set of arguments above another, I do nothing but decide from my feeling concerning the superiority of their influence.”

GivingIdeasFeelingsBeliefPrinciplesInfluenceArgumentConvincedStrikesSuperiorityPreference
Book:A Treatise of Human Nature: Top Philosophy Collections
Create image

“It seems certain, that though a man, in a flush of humour, after intense reflection on the many contradictions and imperfections of human reason, may entirely renounce all belief and opinion, it is impossible for him to persevere in this total scepticism, or make it appear in his conduct for a few hours.”

MenHumansMayReasonSeemsCertainBeliefHoursOpinionImpossibleHumourHe ManReflectionIntenseContradictionImperfectionSkepticismPersevereRenounceScepticismHuman Reason
Book:An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Create image

“Were a man, whom I know to be honest and opulent, and with whom I live in intimate friendship, to come into my house, where I am surrounded with my servants, I rest assured, that he is not to stab me before he leaves it, in order to rob me of my silver standish; and I no more suspect this event, than the falling of the house itself which is new, and solidly built and founded.--But he may have been seized with a sudden and unknown frenzy.--So may a sudden earthquake arise, and shake and tumble my house about my ears.”

KnowsMenMayHas BeensOrderFallHouseBeliefHonestEventsHonestyBuiltEarsAriseBeing HonestServantIntimateShakesSilverSuspectsAssuredEarthquakesFrenzy
Book:An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: A Critical Edition
Create image