Henry Home, Lord Kames Quotes
Henry Home, Lord Kames, was a Scottish judge, philosopher, and polymath and one of the central figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. From his seat on the Court of Session he carried on a vast correspondence with the philosophical and improving circles of his age, encouraging the young Adam Smith, David Hume, James Boswell, and many others. The quotes below are attributed to Henry Home, Lord Kames, organized by topic.
Browse Henry Home, Lord Kames by topic
Henry Home, Lord Kames on Happiness
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“A man does but faintly relish that felicity which costs him nothing; happy they whom pain leads to pleasure.”
Appreciation", p. 30
Henry Home, Lord Kames on Justice
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Attributed to Henry Home, Lord Kames:
“Justice is the protection of property and of person, in that order of necessity.”
Henry Home, Lord Kames on Knowledge
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Attributed to Henry Home, Lord Kames:
“Taste is the offspring of cultivation, not of mere instinct.”
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Attributed to Henry Home, Lord Kames:
“Common sense is the surest guide where philosophy fails.”
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“We part more easily with what we possess, than with our expectations of what we wish for; because expectation always goes beyond enjoyment.”
Anticipation", p. 25 -
“Anticipation", p. 25”
We part more easily with what we possess, than with our expectations of what we wish for; because expectation always goes beyond enjoyment. -
“Appreciation", p. 30”
A man does but faintly relish that felicity which costs him nothing; happy they whom pain leads to pleasure. -
“Parsimony is enough to make the master of the golden mines as poor as he that has nothing; for a man may be brought to a morsel of bread by parsimony as well as profusion.”
Avarice", p. 42 -
“Benevolence is allied to few vices; selfishness to fewer virtues.”
Benevolence", p. 52 -
“Many shining actions owe their success to chance though the general or statesman runs away with the applause.”
Chance", p. 69
Henry Home, Lord Kames on Love
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“Beauty is a dangerous property, tending to corrupt the mind of the wife, though it soon loses its influence over the husband. A figure agreeable and engaging, which inspires affection, without the ebriety of love, is a much safer choice.”
Beauty", p. 49 -
“An agreeable figure and winning manner, which inspire affection without love, are always new. Beauty loses its relish, the graces never; after the longest acquaintance, they are no less agreeable than at first.”
Beauty", p. 49
Henry Home, Lord Kames on Mind
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“A rich man cannot enjoy a sound mind nor a sound body, without exercise and abstinence; and yet these are truly the worst ingredients of poverty.”
Abstinence", p. 2
Henry Home, Lord Kames on Politics
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Attributed to Henry Home, Lord Kames:
“Every nation passes through stages of hunting, herding, farming, and commerce.”
Henry Home, Lord Kames on Time
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Attributed to Henry Home, Lord Kames:
“The history of human society is the history of human faculties unfolding.”