Julien Offray de La Mettrie

"Virtue is nothing more than enlightened self-interest."

"The mechanical nature of man should humble our pride."

"Education must be based on the study of nature."

"Religious superstition chains the human mind."

"We deceive ourselves when we imagine we possess free will."

"The study of the body teaches us about the mind."

"Happiness flows from understanding our true nature."

"Art should imitate the mechanisms of nature."

"All knowledge begins with sensory perception."

"The passions are the springs of all human action."

"We are slaves to our organization and temperament."

"Reason must be grounded in physical reality."

"The diversity of human temperament explains moral differences."

"Life is nothing but organized matter in motion."

"True knowledge acknowledges the limits of understanding."

"The mind without the body is an absurdity."

"Society corrupts the natural goodness of the body's desires."

"We should study medicine to understand philosophy."

"Consciousness emerges from the complexity of physical organization."

"The path to happiness is through honest self-examination."

"Nature, not revelation, is our true guide."

"Fear arises from ignorance of how our bodies function."

"The distinctions between animal and human are merely matters of degree."

"Health of body depends upon regularity and moderation."

"We are born with certain natural inclinations we cannot deny."

"The mechanical philosophy explains human behavior better than theology."

"Imagination is the parent of all innovation."

"The soul's immortality cannot survive rational examination."

"Our desires define our reality, not abstract principles."

"Knowledge of ourselves begins with knowledge of our bodies."