Quotes by David Hume

David Hume

David Hume

Scottish Philosopher, Historian

Lived from: 1711 - 1776

Category: History and sociology | Philosophers Country: FlagUnited Kingdom

Born: 7 may 1711 Died: 25 august 1776

  • The life of man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster.
  • They are the successive perceptions only, that constitute the mind; nor have we the most distant notion of the place, where these scenes are represented, or of the materials, of which it is compos’d
  • The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds.
  • Where ambition can cover its enterprises, even to the person himself, under the appearance of principle, it is the most incurable and inflexible of passions.
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Quotes 1 till 20 of 30.

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  • A wise man, therefore, proportions his belief to the evidence.
    An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748)
    ― David Hume
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  • And what is the greatest number? Number one.
    ― David Hume
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  • Avarice, the spur of industry.
    ― David Hume
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  • Be a philosopher, but, amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.
    ― David Hume
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  • Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.
    ― David Hume
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  • Custom is the great guide to human life.
    ― David Hume
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  • Custom, then, is the great guide of human life.
    ― David Hume
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  • Eloquence, at its highest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection, but addresses itself entirely to the desires and affections, captivating the willing hearers, and subduing their understanding.
    ― David Hume
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  • Everything in the world is purchased by labor.
    ― David Hume
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  • Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous.
    A Treatise of Human Nature
    ― David Hume
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  • He is happy whom circumstances suit his temper; but he Is more excellent who suits his temper to any circumstance.
    ― David Hume
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  • Heaven and Hell suppose two distinct species of men,
    the Good and the Bad. But the greatest part of mankind float betwixt vice and virtue.
    ― David Hume
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  • It is an absurdity to believe that the Deity has human passions, and one of the lowest of human passions, a restless appetite for applause.
    ― David Hume
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  • It is not reason which is the guide of life, but custom.
    ― David Hume
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  • It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once.
    ― David Hume
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  • No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous, than the fact, which it endeavors to establish.
    An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
    ― David Hume
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  • Nothing is more surprising than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few.
    ― David Hume
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  • Pain and pleasure, grief and joy, passions and sensations succeed each other, and never all exist at the same time.
    A Treatise of Human Nature (1739)
    ― David Hume
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  • Reading and sauntering and lounging and dosing, which I call thinking, is my supreme Happiness.
    ― David Hume
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  • The Christian Religion not only was at first attended with miracles, but even at this day cannot be believed by any reasonable person without one.
    An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748) 101
    ― David Hume
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What are the most famous quotes from David Hume?

The two most famous quotes from David Hume are:

  • "A wise man, therefore, proportions his belief to the evidence."
  • "And what is the greatest number? Number one.
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When did David Hume live?

David Hume was born in 1711 and died in the year 1776.