Philosophy Quotes

"The prosperity of a nation depends on the character of its people more than on the policies of its government."

"Liberality must be attributed, I think, to the general, not to the particular."

"Men are not bound by the laws of nature only, but by laws of reason also."

"The greatest good of the greatest number is the aim."

"I have scarcely ever known a marketplace established, that was not succeeded by a church."

"What is the world but a stage, and all the men and women merely players."

"Man is made to adore and to obey."

"The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, but the kind of man the country turns out."

"No man is content with his own condition."

"Suicide is confession."

"Having said that utility is the ultimate appeal of ethical judgments, it may now be asked, what is the standard of utility?"

"The very principle of true philosophy is to commence with doubt of everything which has been long received."

"The human mind has certain forms of thought which are a priori, and these forms are the conditions of all knowledge."

"The custom is there, and we are bound by it; but we are also bound to question it."

"The tendency to undervalue thought and overvalue action is a sign of an impoverished civilization."

"The person who meditates on the law of nature is struck with awe."

"Prejudice is of ready application in the emergency; it previously engages the mind in a steady course of wisdom and virtue."

"Man is a creature of habit more than of reason."

"The mind of man is made up of contradictions; and these contradictions are not occasional, accidental, or trifling."

"I am convinced that we have a degree of delight, and that no small one, in the real misfortunes and pains of others."

"Nature has placed mankind under two sovereign masters, pleasure and pain."

"Criticism is the respect we pay to a man by discussing his ideas seriously."

"The interest of the community is the sum total of the interests of the several members."

"Diversity in opinion is necessary for the advancement of truth."

"The principle of utility is the foundation of all morality."

"Selfishness is not evil; it is the honest acknowledgment of our nature."

"The most dangerous man is one who believes his own righteousness."

"The unexamined life is indeed not worth living, though Socrates said it first."

"All suffering has meaning only if it leads to greater understanding."

"The great question... which I have not yet been able to answer is 'What does woman want?'"