Thomas Hobbes - Knowledge Quotes

11 Sourced Quotes

View all Thomas Hobbes Quotes
Desire, to know why, and how, CURIOSITY; such as is in no living creature but Man; so that Man is distinguished, not only by his Reason; but also by this singular Passion from other Animals; in whom the appetite of food, and other pleasures of Sense, by predominance, take away the care of knowing causes; which is a Lust of the mind, that by a perseverance of delight in the continual and indefatigable generation of Knowledge, exceedeth the short vehemence of any carnal Pleasure.

Thomas Hobbes
The Register of Knowledge of Fact is called History.

Thomas Hobbes
Riches, knowledge and honour are but several sorts of power.

Thomas Hobbes
Man is distinguished, not only by his reason; but also by this singular passion from other animals... which is a lust of the mind, that by a perseverance of delight in the continual and indefatigable generation of knowledge, exceeds the short vehemence of any carnal pleasure.

Thomas Hobbes
Science is the knowledge of Consequences, and dependence of one fact upon another: by which, out of that we can presently do, we know how to do something else when we will, or the like, another time.

Thomas Hobbes
Of all Discourse, governed by desire of Knowledge, there is at last an End, either by attaining, or by giving over.

Thomas Hobbes
By this we may understand, there be two sorts of knowledge, whereof the one is nothing else but sense, or knowledge original (as I have said at the beginning of the second chapter), and remembrance of the same; the other is called science or knowledge of the truth of propositions, and how things are called, and is derived from understanding.

Thomas Hobbes
Time, and Industry, produce everyday new knowledge.

Thomas Hobbes
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. The cause whereof is that the object of man's desire is not to enjoy once only, and for one instant of time, but to assure forever the way of his future desire. And therefore the voluntary actions and inclinations of all men tend not only to the procuring, but also to the assuring of a contented life, and differ only in the way, which ariseth partly from the diversity of passions in diverse men, and partly from the difference of the knowledge or opinion each one has of the causes which produce the effect desired.

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

Thomas Hobbes
Wisdom, properly so called, is nothing else but this: the perfect knowledge of the truth in all matters whatsoever.

Thomas Hobbes