Thomas Hobbes Quotes

The life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 13, 1651)

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.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 13, 1651)

The privilege of absurdity; to which no living creature is subject but man only.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 5, 1651)

The secret thoughts of a man run over all things, holy, profane, clean, obscene, grave, and light, without shame or blame.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 8, 1651)

In Nature, Profit is the measure of Right.

Thomas Hobbes (On the Citizen, 1642)

Forasmuch as all knowledge beginneth from experience, therefore also new experience is the beginning of new knowledge, and the increase of experience the beginning of the increase of knowledge. Whatsoever, therefore, happeneth new to a man, giveth him matter of hope of knowing somewhat that he knew not before. And this hope and expectation of future knowledge from anything that happeneth new and strange is that passion which we commonly call admiration; and the same considered as appetite is called curiosity, which is appetite of knowledge.

Thomas Hobbes (Treatise on Human Nature, 1650)

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.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan, 1651)

For a man's conscience and his judgement is the same thing; and as the judgement, so also the conscience may be erroneous.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan, 1651)

No Discourse whatsoever, can End in absolute Knowledge of Fact.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 7, 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.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 11, 1651)

The aim of Punishment is not a revenge, but terror.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 28, 1651)

Curiosity draws a man from consideration of the effect, to seek the cause.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 11, 1651)

Science is the knowledge of Consequences, and dependence of one fact upon another.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 5, 1651)

Give an inch, he'll take an ell.

Thomas Hobbes (Liberty and Necessity, 1654)

For to accuse requires less eloquence, such is man's nature, than to excuse; and condemnation, than absolution, more resembles justice.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan, 1651)

In the very shadows of doubt a thread of reason (so to speak) begins, by whose guidance we shall escape to the clearest light.

Thomas Hobbes (On the Citizen, 1642)

Emulation is grief arising from seeing one’s self exceeded or excelled by his concurrent, together with hope to equal or exceed him, in time to come, by his own ability. But envy is the same grief joined with pleasure conceived in the imagination of some ill fortune that may befall him.

Thomas Hobbes (Treatise on Human Nature, 1650)

In the first place, I put for a general inclination of all mankind a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 11, 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.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 10, 1651)

The source of every crime, is some defect of the understanding; or some error in reasoning; or some sudden force of the passions.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 27, 1651)

Words are wise men’s counters, they do but reckon by them; but they are the money of fools, that value them by the authority of an Aristotle, a Cicero, or a Thomas, or any other doctor whatsoever, if but a man.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 4, 1651)

They that are discontented under monarchy, call it tyranny; and they that are displeased with aristocracy, call it oligarchy: so also, they which find themselves grieved under a democracy, call it anarchy, which signifies the want of government; and yet I think no man believes, that want of government, is any new kind of government.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan, 1651)

Man gives indifferent names to one and the same thing from the difference of their own passions; as they that approve a private opinion call it opinion; but they that mislike it, heresy: and yet heresy signifies no more than private opinion.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 11, 1651)

For such is the nature of man, 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 mens at a distance.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 13, 1651)

Curiosity is the lust of the mind.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 6, 1651)

Do not that to another, which thou wouldst not have done to thyself.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - Chapter 15, 1651)

Leisure is the mother of philosophy.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan, 1651)

Now I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark.

Thomas Hobbes (His last words, 1679)

Thomas Hobbes Biography

Born: April 5, 1588
Died: December 4, 1679

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher. He is best known for his work on political philosophy. His most notable work is Leviathan. He was also and is still esteemed in various other disciplines.

Notable Works

On the Citizen or De Cive (1642)
Leviathan (1651)
De Corpore (1655)
Behemoth (1681)