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Government is necessary, not because man is naturally bad... but because man is by nature more individualistic than social.

Thomas Hobbes

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Thomas Hobbes
Age: 91 †
Born: 1588
Born: April 5
Died: 1679
Died: December 4
Economist
Historian
Mathematician
Philosopher
Political Scientist
Politician
Translator
Westport
Wiltshire
Hobbes
Thomas Hobbsted
Thomas Hobbes of Malflutry
Individualistic
Naturally
Necessary
Social
Nature
Government
Men

More quotes by Thomas Hobbes

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It is not easy to fall into any absurdity, unless it be by the length of an account wherein he may perhaps forget what went before. For all men by nature reason alike, and well, when they have good principles.
Thomas Hobbes
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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.
Thomas Hobbes
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As a draft-animal is yoked in a wagon, even so the spirit is yoked in this body
Thomas Hobbes
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Setting themselves against reason, as often as reason is against them.
Thomas Hobbes
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For there are very few so foolish who would not rather govern themselves than be governed by others.
Thomas Hobbes
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The Enemy has been here in the night of our natural ignorance, and sown the tares of spiritual errors.
Thomas Hobbes
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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
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During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that conditions called war and such a war, as if of every man, against every man.
Thomas Hobbes
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I put for the general inclination of all mankind, a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death.
Thomas Hobbes
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Whatsoever is the object of any man's Appetite or Desire that is it which he for his part calleth Good: and the object of his Hate and Aversion, evil.
Thomas Hobbes
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The law is the public conscience.
Thomas Hobbes
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As in the presence of the Master, the Servants are equall, and without any honour at all So are the Subjects, in the presence of the Soveraign. And though they shine some more, some lesse, when they are out of his sight yet in his presence, they shine no more than the Starres in presence of the Sun.
Thomas Hobbes
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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.
Thomas Hobbes
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The first author of speech was God himself, that instructed Adam how to name such creatures as He presented to his sight.
Thomas Hobbes
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Passions unguided are for the most part mere madness.
Thomas Hobbes
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There is no such thing as perpetual tranquility of mind while we live here.
Thomas Hobbes
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It is many times with a fraudulent Design that men stick their corrupt Doctrine with the Cloves of other mens Wit.
Thomas Hobbes
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The Register of Knowledge of Fact is called History .
Thomas Hobbes
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Understanding is nothing else than conception caused by speech.
Thomas Hobbes
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Man is distinguished not only by his reason, but also by this singular passion, from all other animals.
Thomas Hobbes