David Hume Quotes
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, and economist of the Scottish Enlightenment. In A Treatise of Human Nature and the Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding he advanced a thoroughgoing empiricism and skepticism about causation, induction, and the self. The quotes below are attributed to David Hume, organized by topic.
David Hume on Freedom
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Attributed to David Hume:
“It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once.”
David Hume on God
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Attributed to David Hume:
“Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous.”
David Hume on Happiness
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Attributed to David Hume:
“He is happy whom circumstances suit his temper; but he is more excellent who suits his temper to any circumstances.”
David Hume on Knowledge
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Attributed to David Hume:
“A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.”
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Attributed to David Hume:
“All knowledge degenerates into probability.”
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Attributed to David Hume:
“When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken.”
David Hume on Life
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Attributed to David Hume:
“Custom, then, is the great guide of human life.”
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Attributed to David Hume:
“No man ever threw away life while it was worth keeping.”
David Hume on Mind
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Attributed to David Hume:
“Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions.”
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Attributed to David Hume:
“Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.”
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Attributed to David Hume:
“It is not contrary to reason to prefer the destruction of the whole world to the scratching of my finger.”
David Hume on Virtue
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Attributed to David Hume:
“The corruption of the best things gives rise to the worst.”
Things actually not said by David Hume
A number of widely-shared lines are circulated as David Hume but are in fact from someone else. Did David Hume say these? No. Each entry below pairs the line with the person who actually wrote it.
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Did David Hume say this? No.
“Truth springs from argument amongst friends.”
This line is sometimes attributed to Hume but has not been located in his Treatise, Enquiries, Essays, or surviving correspondence. The actual source has not been identified.