Words are the counters of wise men, and the money of fools

He that is taken and put into prison or chains is not conquered, though overcome; for he is still an enemy.

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.

Leisure is the Mother of Philosophy.

There is no such thing as perpetual tranquillity of mind while we live here; because life itself is but motion, and can never be without desire, nor without fear, no more than without sense.

A wise man should so write (though in words understood by all men) that wise men only should be able to commend him.

The first and fundamental law of Nature, which is, to seek peace and follow it.

No man’s error becomes his own Law; nor obliges him to persist in it.

No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short

A man cannot lay down the right of resisting them that assault him by force, to take away his life.

I am about to take my last voyage. A great leap in the dark.

Fear of things invisible in the natural seed of that which everyone in himself calleth religion.

The universe, the whole mass of things that are, is corporeal, that is to say, body, and hath the dimensions of magnitude, length, breadth and depth. Every part of the universe is ‘body’ and that...

Desire to know why, and how — curiosity, which is a lust of the mind, that a perseverance of delight in the continued and indefatigable generation of knowledge — exceedeth the short vehemence of any...

In the state of nature profit is the measure of right.

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

Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from some sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly.

The condition of man… is a condition of war of everyone against everyone.

For it can never be that war shall preserve life, and peace destroy it.

A man’s conscience and his judgement is the same thing; and as the judgement, so also the conscience, may be erroneous.

The right of nature… is the liberty each man hath to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life.

Understanding is nothing else than conception caused by speech.

Not believing in force is the same as not believing in gravitation.

As if it were Injustice to sell dearer than we buy; or to give more to a man than he merits. The value of all things contracted for, is measured by the Appetite of the...

For, from the time that the Bishop of Rome had gotten to be acknowledged for bishop universal, by pretence of succession to St. Peter, their whole hierarchy, or kingdom of darkness, may be compared not...

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.

Opinion of ghosts, ignorance of second causes, devotion to what men fear, and talking of things casual for prognostics, consisteth the natural seeds of religion

Sudden glory is the passion which maketh those grimaces called laughter.

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...

Fact be virtuous, or vicious, as Fortune pleaseth

The Light of humane minds is Perspicuous Words, but by exact definitions first snuffed, and purged from ambiguity; Reason is the pace; Encrease of Science, the way; and the Benefit of man-kind, the end. And...

The Papacy is not other than the Ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof.

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

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...

Hell is truth seen too late.

All generous minds have a horror of what are commonly called “Facts”. They are the brute beasts of the intellectual domain.

For such is the nature of man, 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...

Desire to know why, and how – curiosity, which is a lust of the mind, that a perseverance of delight in the continued and indefatigable generation of knowledge – exceedeth the short vehemence of any...

Man is distinguished, not only by his reason; but also by this singular passion from other animals… which is a lust of the mind, that by a perseverance of delight in the continual and indefatigable...

Words are the money of fools.

Now I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark

The science which teacheth arts and handicrafts is merely science for the gaining of a living; but the science which teacheth deliverance from worldly existence, is not that the true science?

Another doctrine repugnant to civil society, is that whatsoever a man does against his conscience, is sin; and it dependeth on the presumption of making himself judge of good and evil. For a man’s conscience...

The privilege of absurdity; to which no living creature is subject but man only

Words are wise men’s counters, they do but reckon by them: But they are the money of fools, that value them by the authority of an Aristotle, a Cicero, or a Thomas, or any other...

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.

Scientia potentia est.Knowledge is power.

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.

The secret thoughts of a man run over all things, holy, profane, clean, obscene, grave, and light, without shame or blame

It is not wisdom but Authority that makes a law