Top 200 Thomas Hobbes Quotes (2025 Update)
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101. “The privilege of absurdity; to which no living creature is subject, but man only.”

— Thomas Hobbes

102. “Do not that to another, which thou wouldst not have done to thyself.”

— Thomas Hobbes

103. “The obligation of subjects to the sovereign is understood to last as long, and no longer, than the power lasteth by which he is able to protect them.”

— Thomas Hobbes

104. “If I had read as much as other men I would have known no more than they.”

— Thomas Hobbes

105. “Ignorance of the law is no good excuse, where every man is bound to take notice of the laws to which he is subject.”

— Thomas Hobbes

106. “Prudence is but experience, which equal time equally bestows on all men in those things they equally apply themselves unto.”

— Thomas Hobbes

107. “Such truth, as opposeth no man’s profit, nor pleasure, is to all men welcome.”

— Thomas Hobbes

108. “Life itself is but Motion, and can never be without Desire, nor without Feare, no more than without Sense.”

— Thomas Hobbes

109. “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.”

— Thomas Hobbes

110. “Obligation is thraldom, and thraldom is hateful.”

— Thomas Hobbes

111. “Religions are like pills, which must be swallowed whole without chewing.”

— Thomas Hobbes

112. “As a draft-animal is yoked in a wagon, even so the spirit is yoked in this body.”

— Thomas Hobbes

113. “Nature itself cannot err.”

— Thomas Hobbes

114. “Power as is really divided, and as dangerously to all purposes, by sharing with another an Indirect Power, as a Direct one.”

— Thomas Hobbes

115. “When two, or more men, know of one and the same fact, they are said to be CONSCIOUS of it one to another; which is as much as to know it together.”

— Thomas Hobbes

116. “Men looke not at the greatnesse of the evill past, but the greatnesse of the good to follow.”

— Thomas Hobbes

117. “As soon as a thought darts, I write it down.”

— Thomas Hobbes

118. “The disembodied spirit is immortal; there is nothing of it that can grow old or die. But the embodied spirit sees death on the horizon as soon as its day dawns.”

— Thomas Hobbes

119. “Respice finem; that is to say, in all your actions, look often upon what you would have, as the thing that directs all your thoughts in the way to attain it.”

— Thomas Hobbes

120. “The oath adds nothing to the obligation. For a covenant, if lawful, binds in the sight of God, without the oath, as much as with it; if unlawful, bindeth not at all, though it be confirmed with an oath.”

— Thomas Hobbes

121. “Intemperance is naturally punished with diseases; rashness, with mischance; injustice; with violence of enemies; pride, with ruin; cowardice, with oppression; and rebellion, with slaughter.”

— Thomas Hobbes

122. “I often observe the absurdity of dreams, but never dream of the absurdity of my waking thoughts.”

— Thomas Hobbes

123. “Because silver and gold have their value from the matter itself, they have first this privilege, that the value of them cannot be altered by the power of one, nor of a few commonwealths, as being a common measure of the commodities of all places. But base money may easily be enhanced or abased.”

— Thomas Hobbes

124. “So easy are men to be drawn to believe any thing, from such men as have gotten credit with them; and can with gentleness and dexterity take hold of their fear and ignorance.”

— Thomas Hobbes

125. “There is no such thing as perpetual tranquility of mind while we live here.”

— Thomas Hobbes

126. “Faith is a gift of God, which man can neither give nor take away by promise of rewards or menace of torture.”

— Thomas Hobbes

127. “No mans error becomes his own Law; nor obliges him to persist in it.”

— Thomas Hobbes

128. “The source of every crime, is some defect of the understanding; or some error in reasoning; or some sudden force of the passions. Defect in the understanding is ignorance; in reasoning, erroneous opinion.”

— Thomas Hobbes

129. “To say that God is an incorporeal substance, is to say in effect there is no God at all. What alleges he against it, but the School-divinity which I have already answered? Scripture he can bring none, because the word incorporeal is not found in Scripture.”

— Thomas Hobbes

130. “I shall be glad then to find a hole to creep out of the world.”

— Thomas Hobbes

131. “Prophecy is many times the principal cause of the events foretold.”

— Thomas Hobbes

132. “That a man be willing, when others are so too, as far forth as for peace and defense of himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down this right to all things; and be contented with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow other men against himself.”

— Thomas Hobbes

133. “For it is with the mysteries of our religion, as with wholesome pills for the sick, which swallowed whole, have the virtue to cure; but chewed, are for the most part cast up again without effect.”

— Thomas Hobbes

134. “Understanding is by the flame of the passions never enlightened, but dazzled.”

— Thomas Hobbes

135. “Time, and Industry, produce everyday new knowledge.”

— Thomas Hobbes

136. “These dictates of Reason, men use to call by the name of Lawes; but improperly: for they are but Conclusions, or Theoremes concerning what conduceth to the conservation and defence of themselves; whereas Law, properly is the word of him, that by right hath command over others. But yet if we consider the same Theoremes, as delivered in the word of God, that by right commandeth all things; then are they properly called Lawes.”

— Thomas Hobbes

137. “Understanding is nothing else than conception caused by speech.”

— Thomas Hobbes

138. “From whence it follows, that were the publique and private interest are most closely united, there is the publique most advanced.”

— Thomas Hobbes

139. “The characters of man’s heart, blotted and confounded as they are with dissembling, lying, counterfeiting, and erroneous doctrines, are legible only to him that searcheth hearts.”

— Thomas Hobbes

140. “For all uniting of strength by private men, is, if for evil intent, unjust; if for intent unknown, dangerous to the Publique, and unjustly concealed.”

— Thomas Hobbes

141. “A great leap in the dark.”

— Thomas Hobbes

142. “And seeing every man is presumed to do all things in order to his own benefit, no man is a fit Arbitrator in his own cause.”

— Thomas Hobbes

143. “It is many times with a fraudulent Design that men stick their corrupt Doctrine with the Cloves of other mens Wit.”

— Thomas Hobbes

144. “The first author of speech was God himself, that instructed Adam how to name such creatures as He presented to his sight...”

— Thomas Hobbes

145. “Hurt inflicted, if lesse than the benefit of transgressing, is not punishment... and is rather the Price, or Redemption, than the Punishment of a Crime.”

— Thomas Hobbes

146. “No Discourse whatsoever, can End in absolute Knowledge of Fact.”

— Thomas Hobbes

147. “No man can be judge to his own cause.”

— Thomas Hobbes

148. “The best men are the least suspicious of fraudulent purposes.”

— Thomas Hobbes

149. “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?”

— Thomas Hobbes

150. “To be seduced by Orators, as a Monarch by Flatterers.”

— Thomas Hobbes