Quotes from David Hume

The imagination of man is naturally sublime, delighted with whatever is remote and extraordinary, and running, without controul, into the most distant parts of space and time, in order to avoid the objects, which custom has rendered too familiar to it.

Bleib' nüchtern und vergiss' nicht, skeptisch zu sein!

I have long entertained a suspicion, with regard to the decisions of philosophers upon all subjects, and found in myself a greater inclination to dispute, than assent to their conclusions.

Truth is of two kinds, consisting either in the discovery of the proportions of ideas, consider'd as such, or in the conformity of our ideas of objects to their real existence (Hume, 1739, p. 495).

Tis not solely in poerty and music, we must follow low our taste and sentiment, but likewise in philosophy (Hume, 1739, p.153).

Where men are heated by zeal and enthusiasm, there is no degree of human testimony so strong as may not be procured for the greatest absurdity. - Of Miracles

The most perfect philosophy of the natural kind only staves off our ignorance a little longer: as perhaps the most perfect philosophy of the moral or metaphysical kind serves only to discover larger portions of it. Thus the observation of human blindness and weakness is the result of all philosophy, and meets us at every turn, in spite of our endeavours to elude or avoid it.

El trabajo es el ingrediente principal de la felicidad a la cual aspiras, y toda alegría se hace pronto insípida y desagradable cuando no proviene de fatiga e industria.

Though experience be our only guide in reasoning concerning matters of fact; it must be acknowledged, that this guide is not altogether infallible, but in some cases is apt to lead us into errors.

El mundo es tal vez el bosquejo rudimentario de algún dios infantil, que lo abandonó a medio hacer, avergonzado de su ejecución deficiente; es obra de un dios subalterno, de quien los dioses superiores se burlan; es la confusa producción de una divinidad decrépita y jubilada, que ya se ha muerto

Así, cuando afirmamos que Dios existe nos formamos simplemente la idea de un ser tal como nos es presentado, y la existencia que le atribuimos no es concebida por una idea particular que unamos a la idea de sus otras cualidades y que pueda nuevamente ser separada y distinguida de ellas.

When any opinion leads us into absurdities, 'tis certainly false; but 'tis not certain an opinion is false, because 'tis of dangerous consequence.

There is nothing which is not the subject of debate, and in which men of learning are not of contrary opinions.

Es evidentemente cierto que el razonamiento es tanto más convincente cuanto más único y unitario se presenta y cuanto menos trabajo da a la imaginación para reunir todas sus partes y pasar de él a la idea correspondiente que forma la conclusión.

All the perceptions of the human mind resolve themselves into two distinct kinds, which I shall call IMPRESSIONS and IDEAS.

PAMPHILUS TO HERMIPPUS It has

Some men are possessed of great strength of mind; and even when they pursue external objects, are not much affected by a disappointment, but renew their application and industry with the greatest chearfulness. Nothing contributes more to happiness than such a turn of mind.

Tis not solely in poetry and music, we must follow low our taste and sentiment, but likewise in philosophy (Hume, 1739, p. 153).

There is no method of reasoning more common, and yet none more blamable than in philosophical debates to endeavor to refute any hypothesis by a pretext of its dangerous consequences to religion and morality (Hume, 1739, p.456).

But should this miracle be ascribed to any new system of religion; men, in all ages, have been so much imposed on by ridiculous stories of that kind, that this very circumstance would be a full proof of a cheat, and sufficient, with all men of sense, not only to make them reject the fact, but even reject it without farther examination.

But should this miracle be ascribed to any new system of religion; men, in all ages, have been so much imposed on by ridiculous stories of that kind, that this very circumstance would be a full proof of a cheat, and sufficient, with all men of sense, not only to make them reject the fact, but even reject it without further examination

De la ley nace la seguridad; de la seguridad, la curiosidad, y de la curiosidad, el saber. (...) En la necesaria marcha de las cosas, el derecho debe preceder a la ciencia

He is happy, whose circumstances suit his temper; but he is more excellent, who can suit his temper to any circumstances.

si prestamos fe a ciertos filósofos, éstos nos prometen disminuir nuestra ignorancia; pero me temo que sea a costa de llevarnos a contradicciones