Wisdom of David Hume

David Hume (May 7th, 1711 – August 25th 1776) was a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, economist, historian, essayist, and librarian. He is best known for his system of philosophical empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism.

Below we list some words of wisdom from David Hume.

"There is no such thing as freedom of choice unless there is freedom to refuse."

"A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence."

"The difference between a man who is led by opinion or emotion and one who is led by reason. The former, whether he will or not, performs things of which he is entirely ignorant; the latter is subordinate to no one, and only does those things which he knows to be of primary importance in his life, and which on that account he desires the most; and therefore I call the former a slave, but the latter free."

"It is harder to avoid censure than to gain applause."

"When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken."

"All knowledge degenerates into probability."

"Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty."

"Nothing is more surprising than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few."

"A little philosophy makes a man an Atheist: a great deal converts him to religion"

"To hate, to love, to think, to feel, to see; all this is nothing but to perceive."

"Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them."

"I do not have enough faith to believe there is no god."

"Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients: action, pleasure and indolence."

"It's when we start working together that the real healing takes place... it's when we start spilling our sweat, and not our blood."

"The life of man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster."

"Mankind are so much the same, in all times and places, that history informs us of nothing new or strange in this particular. Its chief use is only to discover the constant and universal principles of human nature."

"Anticipation of pleasure is, in itself, a very considerable pleasure."

"No amount of observations of white swans can allow the inference that all swans are white, but the observation of a single black swan is sufficient to refute that conclusion."

"Eloquence, when in its highest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection.""Truth springs from argument amongst friends."

"The sweetest path of life leads through the avenues of learning, and whoever can open up the way for another, ought, so far, to be esteemed a benefactor to mankind."

"Be a philosopher but, amid all your philosophy be still a man."

"The unhappy of all men is he who believes himself to be so."

"The mind is a kind of theater, where several perceptions successively make their appearance; pass, re-pass, glide away, and mingle in an infinite variety of postures and situations."

"Men often act knowingly against their interest."

"I never asserted such an absurd thing as that things arise without a cause."

"The corruption of the best things gives rise to the worst."

"The greater part of mankind may be divided into two classes; that of shallow thinkers who fall short of the truth; and that of abstruse thinkers who go beyond it."

"What a peculiar privilege has this little agitation of the brain which we call 'thought'."

"Morals excite passions, and produce or prevent actions. Reason of itself is utterly impotent in this particular. The rules of morality, therefore, are not conclusions of our reason."

"When we reflect on the shortness and uncertainty of life, how despicable seem all our pursuits of happiness."

"Examine the religious principles which have, in fact, prevailed in the world. You will scarcely be persuaded that they are other than sick men's dreams."

"He is happy whom circumstances suit his temper; but he Is more excellent who suits his temper to any circumstance."

Copyright © Stephen Petullo, Scott Petullo