Thomas Hobbes Quotes

197 Sourced Quotes

No man is bound by the words themselves, either to kill himselfe, or any other man.

Thomas Hobbes
The RIGHT OF NATURE, which Writers commonly call Jus Naturale, is the Liberty each man hath, to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own Nature; that is to say, of his own Life; and consequently, of doing any thing, which in his own Judgement, and Reason, he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto.

Thomas Hobbes
"Imagination," therefore, is nothing but "decaying sense;" and is found in men, and many other living creatures, as well sleeping, as waking.

Thomas Hobbes
The value of all things contracted for, is measured by the appetite of the contractors, and therefore the just value is that which they be contented to give.

Thomas Hobbes
Fear of things invisible is the natural seed of that which everyone in himself calleth religion

Thomas Hobbes
They that approve a private opinion call it opinion, but they that mislike it, heresy: and yet heresy signifies no more than private opinion, but has only a greater tincture of choler.

Thomas Hobbes
And if a man consider the original of this great Ecclesiastical Dominion, he will easily perceive, that the Papacy, is no other than the Ghost of the deceased Romane Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof: For so did the Papacy start up on a Sudden out of the Ruines of that Heathen Power.

Thomas Hobbes
He that is taken and put into prison or chains is not conquered, though overcome; for he is still an enemy.

Thomas Hobbes
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.

Thomas Hobbes
This is that law of the Gospel; whatsoever you require that others should do to you, that do ye to them.

Thomas Hobbes
The passion of laughter is nothing else but a sudden glory arising from sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmities of others, or with our own formerly...

Thomas Hobbes
As in the presence of the Master, the Servants are equall, and without any honour at all; So are the Subjects, in the presence of the Soveraign. And though they shine some more, some lesse, when they are out of his sight; yet in his presence, they shine no more than the Starres in presence of the Sun.

Thomas Hobbes
It is not easy to fall into any absurdity, unless it be by the length of an account; wherein he may perhaps forget what went before. For all men by nature reason alike, and well, when they have good principles.

Thomas Hobbes
All men, among themselves, are by nature equal. The inequality we now discern hath its spring from the civil law.

Thomas Hobbes
The best men are the least suspicious of fraudulent purposes.

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

Thomas Hobbes
In Geometry, (which is the only Science that it hath pleased God hitherto to bestow on mankind,) men begin at settling the significations of their words; which settling of significations, they call Definitions; and place them in the beginning of their reckoning.

Thomas Hobbes
By consequence, or train of thoughts, I understand that succession of one thought to another which is called, to distinguish it from discourse in words, mental discourse. When a man thinketh on anything whatsoever, his next thought after is not altogether so casual as it seems to be. Not every thought to every thought succeeds indifferently.

Thomas Hobbes
So that 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. And the cause of this is not always that a man hopes for a more intensive delight than he has already attained to, or that he cannot be content with a moderate power: but because he cannot assure the power and means to live well, which he hath present, without the acquisition of more.

Thomas Hobbes
I Authorize and give up my Right of Governing my selfe, to this Man, or to his Assembly of men, on this condition, that thou that give up thy Right to him, and Authorise all his Actionsin like manner. This done, the Multitude so united in one Person, is called a COMMON-WEALTH, in latine CIVITAS. This is the Generation of that LEVIATHAN, or rather (to speake more reverently)of that Mortall God, to which we owe under the Immortal God, our peace and defence.

Thomas Hobbes