89 quotes
This is that law of the Gospel; whatsoever you require that others should do to you, that do ye to them.
Leviathan (1651)
For words are wise men's counters—they do but reckon by them—but they are the money of fools.
"For he that hath strength enough to protect all, wants not sufficiency to oppresse all."
De Cive (1642)
As for [...] Of all passions, that which inclineth men least to break the laws is fear.
Leviathan (1651)
Setting themselves against reason, as often as reason is against them.
All this arguing of infinities is but the ambition of school boys.
As first a man cannot lay down the right of resisting them, that assault him by force, to take away his life; because he cannot be understood to ayme thereby, at any Good to himself.
Leviathan (1651)
The secret thoughts of a man run over all things, holy, prophane, clean, obscene, grave, and light, without shame, or blame…
Leviathan (1651)
Christian Kings may erre in deducing a Consequence, but who shall Judge?
Leviathan (1651)
The Value or WORTH of a man, is as of all other things, his Price; that is to say, so much as would be given for the use of his Power...
Leviathan (1651)
The same, without such opinion, DESPAIRE.
Leviathan (1651)
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.
Leviathan (1651)
There is no such thing as perpetual tranquillity of mind while we live here; because life itself is but motion, and can never be without desire, nor without fear, no more than without sense.
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.
Leviathan (1651)
Felicity is a continual progress of the desire from one object to another, the attaining of the former being still but the way to the latter.
Leviathan (1651)
The privilege of absurdity; to which no living creature is subject but man only.
And when all the world is overcharged with Inhabitants, then the last remedy of all is Warre, which provideth for every man, by Victory or Death.
Leviathan (1651)
When two, or more men, know of one and the same fact, they are said to be CONSCIOUS of it one to another; which is as much as to know it together.
Leviathan (1651)
As also the great number of Corporations; which are as it were many lesser Common-wealths in the bowels of a greater, like wormes in the entrayles of a natural man.
Leviathan (1651)
Don't you see that the appalling history of sectarianism, persecution, heresy hunting, shows you that this way of thinking about the world is intrinsically unsound?