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The ancients, persuaded that there is no body without a moving force, regarded the substance of bodies as composed of two primitive attributes. It was held that, through one of these attributes, this substance has the capacity for moving and, through the other, the capacity for being moved.

— Julien Offray de La Mettrie The Natural History of the Soul (1745)

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More quotes by Julien Offray de La Mettrie

A good prescription is still more profitable than an absolution.

Write as if thou wert alone in the universe and hadst nothing to fear from the jealousies and prejudices of the people. Otherwise thou wilt miss thy purpose.

Let us not limit the resources of nature; they are infinite, especially when reinforced by great art.

Man a Machine (1747)

The soul follows the progress of the body, as it does the progress of education.

Man a Machine (1747)

If there is a revelation, it can not then contradict nature.

Man a Machine (1747)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Julien Offray de La Mettrie (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.