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
memories future past
The Present only has a being in Nature; things Past have a being in the Memory only, but things to come have no being at all; the Future but a fiction of the mind.
hateful obligation
Obligation is thraldom, and thraldom is hateful.
mean men desire
So that in the first place, I put for a general inclination of all mankind a perpetual and restless desire of Power after power, that ceaseth only in Death. And the cause of this is not always that a man hopes for a more intensive delight than he has already attained to, or that he cannot be content with a moderate power: but because he cannot assure the power and means to live well, which he hath present, without the acquisition of more.
men atheism belief
Immortality is a belief grounded upon other men's sayings, that they knew it supernaturally; or that they knew those who knew them that knew others that knew it supernaturally.
war men victory
When all the world is overcharged with inhabitants, then the last remedy of all is war, which provideth for every man, by victory or death.
past times-past prudence
Prudence is a presumption of the future, contracted from the experience of time past.
ambition passion political
Ambition, and Covetousnesse are Passions that are perpetually incumbent, and pressing.
men caution equal
Prudence is but experience, which equal time equally bestows on all men in those things they equally apply themselves unto.
liberty foolish
There are very few so foolish that they had not rather govern themselves than be governed by others.
science reality facts
Science is the knowledge of consequences, and dependence of one fact upon another.
fear men lasting
The original of all great and lasting societies consisted not in the mutual good will men had toward each other, but in the mutual fear they had of each other.
inspirational despair opinion
Appetite, with an opinion of attaining, is called hope; the same, without such opinion, despair.
wise wisdom witty
Such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned; yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves.
spring men law
All men, among themselves, are by nature equal. The inequality we now discern hath its spring from the civil law.