Philosophers' Famous Quotes

"A man may... dare to think and act for himself; but for a woman... difficulties... require almost super-human powers."

"Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in [their] life, health, liberty, or possessions."

Imagine a "being... of highest power and deepest cunning, who is constantly employing all his ingenuity in deceiving me"

This philosopher believed the life of humans, especially early humans, was "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

The "categorical imperative" is any moral statement that "should become a universal law."

A critic of all religions, he/she believed in a fuller view of God: "I say that all things are IN God and MOVE IN God."

Regarding metaphysics, this philosopher says: "Commit it to the flames; for it can contain nothing but illusion."

"The further we advance the further we go astray."

"The end [goal] of Law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge Freedom."

"We should venture on the study of every kind of animal... all will reveal to us something natural and beautiful."

"The effect of music is so very much more powerful and penetrating than is that of the other arts."

"Cogito ergo sum."

The senses bring true intelligence, while "reason is nothing but a wonderful and unintelligible instinct."

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."

"Earthly knowledge is but a shadow."

"The history of all society existing till now is the history of class struggles."

The first Westerner to wish that "the philosopher frees the soul from association with the body as much as possible."

"I know nothing except the fact that I know nothing."

This philosopher believed that "the common people... are so inconstant... they know not what to choose."

Anxiety about existence, or angst, "is the dizziness of freedom."

"Taught from their infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body."

This inspiring Egyptian philosopher of the Roman Empire was killed by a religious mob. None of his/her writings survive.

"Until philosophers are kings... cities will never have rest from their evils."

He/she uniquely wondered "if nature were not self-knowing, self-living" and if "every single atom were animated matter."

"History is not the soil of happiness. The periods of happiness are blank pages in it."

"If there were no best of all possible worlds, God would not have created one." ("This is the best of possible worlds.")