Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy. His 1651 book Leviathan established social contract theory, the foundation of most later Western political philosophy...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth5 April 1588
firsts causes want
The first cause of Absurd conclusions I ascribe to the want of Method.
desire progress way
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.
spy desire way
Thoughts are to the Desires as Scouts and Spies, to range abroad, and find the way to the things Desired.
knowledge
Scientia potentia est, sed parva; quia scientia egregia rara est, nec proinde apparens nisi paucissimis, et in paucis rebus. Scientiae enim ea natura est, ut esse intelligi non possit, nisi ab illis qui sunt scientia praediti.
philosophical men welcome
Such truth, as opposeth no man's profit, nor pleasure, is to all men welcome.
understanding speech conception
Understanding is nothing else than conception caused by speech.
liberty littles fruit
What reason is there that he which laboreth much, and, sparing the fruits of his labor, consumeth little, should be more charged than he that, living idly, getteth little and spendeth all he gets, seeing the one hath no more protection from the commonwealth than the other?
fear mind desire
There is no such thing as perpetual tranquillity of mind while we live here; because life itself is but motion, and can never be without desire, nor without fear, no more than without sense.
envy competition ancient
The praise of ancient authors proceeds not from the reverence of the dead, but from the competition and mutual envy of the living.
laughter philosophical passion
Sudden glory is the passion which maketh those grimaces called laughter.
philosophical dark leviathan
I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark.
liberty nasty poor
Life in the state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.
sight shining sun
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.
nasty life-is
Life is nasty, brutish, and short