Philosophy Quotes

Questions about meaning, existence, and truth from thinkers who spent their lives searching for answers.

43879 quotes

C
"To live well is to live according to reason and nature; to live poorly is to follow blind passions."
Claude Adrien Helvetius
C
"Every action has a moral quality; nothing is truly indifferent in the realm of human conduct."
Claude Adrien Helvetius
C
"The greatest commandment is to seek the happiness of all humanity, not merely our own narrow interests."
Claude Adrien Helvetius
C
"The test of any philosophy is whether it leads to greater human happiness and virtue."
Claude Adrien Helvetius
J
"In mathematics, as in life, simplicity is often the mark of profound understanding."
Joseph-Louis Lagrange
J
"Science and philosophy are sisters born of the same desire to understand."
Joseph-Louis Lagrange
G
"To understand the present, we must study the past."
Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon
G
"The pursuit of perfection is imperfect."
Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon
G
"Philosophy is the love of wisdom and truth."
Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon
C
"Nature's order reflects eternal principles."
Carl Linnaeus
C
"Every classification is a prayer to understanding."
Carl Linnaeus
C
"To study nature is to study the architecture of existence."
Carl Linnaeus
C
"The system I propose is a framework, not a prison."
Carl Linnaeus
C
"Every creature is a meditation on purpose."
Carl Linnaeus
P
"Morality without reason is merely habit; reason without morality is mere calculation."
Paul-Henri Thiry Holbach
P
"The body is not sinful; sin is the invention of those who fear the body."
Paul-Henri Thiry Holbach
P
"The soul is not separate from the body; they are one unified system of nature."
Paul-Henri Thiry Holbach
P
"The body's desires are not sins; the denial of them is the true perversion."
Paul-Henri Thiry Holbach
J
"I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist without a clockmaker."
Jean d'Alembert
J
"Philosophy asks the questions that science answers."
Jean d'Alembert
�
"Sensation is the foundation of all intellectual operations and moral sentiments."
Étienne Bonnot de Condillac
�
"We are all philosophers when we truly examine the nature of our perceptions."
Étienne Bonnot de Condillac
�
"Understanding the nature of sensation is understanding the nature of human existence."
Étienne Bonnot de Condillac
�
"The beginning of wisdom is the acknowledgment that all knowledge flows from sensation."
Étienne Bonnot de Condillac
�
"One must never compromise their principles for the sake of convenience."
Émilie du Châtelet
�
"I believe that each person has a unique contribution to make to society."
Émilie du Châtelet
�
"One must learn to embrace uncertainty as a part of the human experience."
Émilie du Châtelet
�
"I believe that every person deserves respect and dignity."
Émilie du Châtelet
J
"I believe that the order we find in nature reflects an order within ourselves."
Joseph-Louis Lagrange
J
"The life of a mathematician is a constant dialogue with the infinite."
Joseph-Louis Lagrange