David Hume Quotes - Page 14

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Manufacturers...gradually shift their places, leaving those countries and provinces which they have already enriched, and flying to others, whether they are allured by the cheapness of provisions and labour.

David Hume

Country, Flying, Leaving

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But in many orders of beauty, particularly those of the finer arts, it is requisite to employ much reasoning, in order to feel the proper sentiment; and a false relish may frequently be corrected by argument and reflection. There are just grounds to conclude, that moral beauty partakes of this latter species, and demands the assistance of our intellectual faculties, in order to give it a suitable influence on the human mind.

David Hume

Art, Reflection, Order

David Hume, J. B. Schneewind (1983). “An Enquiry Concerning The Principles of Morals”, p.15, Hackett Publishing

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There is a set of harmless liars, frequently to be met with in company, who deal much in the marvellous. Their usual intention is to please and entertain; but as men are most delighted with what they conceive to be the truth, these people mistake the means of pleasing, and incur universal blame.

David Hume

Mistake, Liars, Mean

David Hume (2013). “An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals”, p.71, Simon and Schuster

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Municipal laws are a supply to the wisdom of each individual; and, at the same time, by restraining the natural liberty of men, make private interest submit to the interest of the public.

David Hume

Wisdom, Men, Law

David Hume (1825). “Essays and treatises on several subjects: essays, moral, political and literary”, p.180

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A pleasant comedy, which paints the manners of the age, and exposes a faithful picture of nature, is a durable work, and is transmitted to the latest posterity. But a system, whether physical or metaphysical, commonly owes its success to its novelty; and is no sooner canvassed with impartiality than its weakness is discovered.

David Hume

Faithful, Age, Weakness

David Hume (2016). “The History of England, vol. 1~6, Completed: Revision of Great Book”, p.2565, VM eBooks

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The great subverter of Pyrrhonism or the excessive principles of scepticism is action, and employment, and the occupations of common life.

David Hume

Principles, Employment, Occupation

David Hume (2013). “Essays and Treatises on Philosophical Subjects”, p.214, Broadview Press

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Every movement of the theater by a skilful poet is communicated, as it were, by magic, to the spectators; who weep, tremble, resent, rejoice, and are inflamed with all the variety of passions which actuate the several personages of the drama.

David Hume

Drama, Passion, Magic

David Hume (1825). “Essays and treatises on several subjects: An inquiry concerning human understanding. A dissertation on the passions. An inquiry concerning the principles of morals. The natural history of religion”, p.258

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Fine writing, according to Mr. Addison, consists of sentiments which are natural without being obvious.

David Hume

Writing, Natural, Fine

David Hume (2016). “Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)”, p.695, Delphi Classics

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It is not contrary to reason to prefer the destruction of the whole world to the scratching of my finger.

David Hume

Philosophical, World, Reason

A Treatise upon Human Nature bk. 2 (1739)

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[priests are] the pretenders to power and dominion, and to a superior sanctity of character, distinct from virtue and good morals.

David Hume

Character, Religion, Atheism

David Hume (1875). “Essays Moral, Political, and Literary”, p.146

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There is an inconvenience which attends all abstruse reasoning. that it may silence, without convincing an antagonist, and requires the same intense study to make us sensible of its force, that was at first requisite for its invention. When we leave our closet, and engage in the common affairs of life, its conclusions seem to vanish, like the phantoms of the night on the appearance of the morning; and 'tis difficult for us to retain even that conviction, which we had attain'd with difficulty.

David Hume

Morning, Night, Silence

David Hume (2015). “A Treatise of Human Nature: Top Philosophy Collections”, p.339, 谷月社

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We may well ask, What causes induce us to believe in the existence of body? but 'tis vain to ask. Whether there be body or not? That is a point which we must take for granted in all our reasonings.

David Hume

Believe, Causes, Body

David Hume (2016). “A Treatise of Human Nature: Revision of Great Book”, p.180, VM eBooks

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Accurate and just reasoning is the only catholic remedy, fitted for all persons and all dispositions; and is alone able to subvert that abstruse philosophy and metaphysical jargon, which, being mixed up with popular superstition, renders it in a manner impenetrable to careless reasoners, and gives it the air of science and wisdom.

David Hume

Philosophy, Air, Giving

David Hume (1854). “The Philosophical Works of David Hume: Including All the Essays, and Exhibiting the More Important Alterations and Corrections in the Successive Editions Pub. by the Author”, p.9

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The greatest crimes have been found, in many instances, to be compatible with a superstitious piety and devotion; hence it is justly regarded as unsafe to draw any inference in favor of a man's morals, from the fervor or strictness of his religious exercises, even though he himself believe them sincere.

David Hume

Religious, Believe, Exercise

David Hume (2016). “The Natural History of Religion: Revision of Great Book”, p.50, VM eBooks

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All ills spring from some vice, either in ourselves or others; and even many of our diseases proceed from the same origin. Remove the vices; and the ills follow. You must only take care to remove all the vices. If you remove part, you may render the matter worse. By banishing vicious luxury, without curing sloth and an indifference to others, you only diminish industry in the state, and add nothing to men's charity or their generosity.

David Hume

Spring, Men, Luxury

David Hume (1809). “Essays, moral, political, and literary”, p.297

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All the sciences have a relation, greater or less, to human nature; and...however wide any of them may seem to run from it, they still return back by one passage or another. Even Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, and Natural Religion, are in some measure dependent on the science of MAN; since they lie under the cognizance of men, and are judged of by their powers and faculties.

David Hume

Running, Philosophy, Lying

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Never literary attempt was more unfortunate than my Treatise of Human Nature. It fell dead-born from the press.

David Hume

Human Nature, Born, Unfortunate

'My Own Life' (1777) ch. 1

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A delicacy of taste is favorable to love and friendship, by confining our choice to few people, and making us indifferent to the company and conversation of the greater part of men.

David Hume

Men, People, Choices

David Hume (1875). “Essays Moral, Political, and Literary”, p.93

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But to proceed in this reconciling project with regard to the question of liberty and necessity; the most contentious question of metaphysics, the most contentious science.

David Hume

Liberty, Free Will, Projects

David Hume (2012). “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding”, p.60, Courier Corporation

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As every inquiry which regards religion is of the utmost importance, there are two questions in particular which challenge our attention, to wit, that concerning its foundation in reason, and that concerning it origin in human nature.

David Hume

Two, Challenges, Foundation

David Hume (1788). “An inquiry concerning human understanding. A dissertation on the passions. An inquiry concerning the principles of morals. The natural history of religion”, p.362

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All that belongs to human understanding, in this deep ignorance and obscurity, is to be sceptical, or at least cautious, and not to admit of any hypothesis whatever, much less of any which is supported by no appearance of probability.

David Hume

Ignorance, Understanding, Obscurity

David Hume (1826). “The Philosophical Works: Including All the Essays, and Exhibiting the More Important Alterations and Corrections in the Successive Ed. Publ. by the Author”, p.518

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And whoever is moved by Faith to assent to it, is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person, which subverts all the principles of his understanding, and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience.

David Hume

Determination, Believe, Giving

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding "Of Miracles" (1748)

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... if you insist that the inference is made by a chain of reasoning, I desire you to produce that reasoning. The connection between the two is not intuitive. There is required a medium, which may enable the mind to draw such an inference, if indeed it be drawn by reasoning and argument. What that medium is, I must confess, passes my comprehension; and it is incumbent on those to produce it, who assert that it really exists, and is the origin of all our conclusions concerning matter of fact.

David Hume

Two, Words Of Wisdom, Mind

David Hume (2016). “Delphi Complete Works of David Hume (Illustrated)”, p.980, Delphi Classics

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If the religious spirit be ever mentioned in any historical narration, we are sure to meet afterwards with a detail of the miseries which attend it. And no period of time can be happier or more prosperous, than those in which it is never regarded or heard of.

David Hume

Religious, Historical, Religion

David Hume, John Charles Addison Gaskin (1998). “Dialogues and Natural History of Religion”, p.122, Oxford University Press, USA

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The religious hypothesis, therefore, must be considered only as a particular method of accounting for the visible phenomena of the universe: but no just reasoner will ever presume to infer from it any single fact, and alter or add to the phenomena, in any single particular.

David Hume

Religious, Atheism, Add

David Hume (1758). “Essays and Treatises on Several Subjects”, p.360

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Born: May 7, 1711
Died: August 25, 1776
Occupation: Philosopher
Cite this Page: Citation

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