David Hume Quotes

At present they philosophers seem to be in a very lamentable condition, and such as the poets have given us but a faint notion of in their descriptions of the punishment of Sisyphus and Tantalus. For what can be imagin'd more tormenting, than to seek with eagerness, what for ever flies us; and seek for it in a place, where 'tis impossible it can ever exist?

David Hume

• Present

• Previous
• Next

Quotes to Explore

• The conflict between religion and science is inherent and (very nearly) zero-sum. The success of science often comes at the expense of religious dogma; the maintenance of religious dogma always comes at the expense of science.

  

  Sam Harris
  • Success
  • Science
  • Religious

• Both World War II and the subsequent Cold War gave America's involvement in world affairs a clear focus. The objectives of foreign policy were relatively easy to define, and they could be imbued with high moral content.

  

  Zbigniew Brzezinski
  • World
  • America
  • War

• The great thing about baseball is there's a crisis every day.

  

  Gabe Paul
  • Great
  • Day
  • Baseball

• We are not going to turn our backs on people who have been persecuted, turn our backs on people who have been threatened by terror.

  

  Gavin Newsom
  • People
  • Going
  • Turn

• I will do today what others won't so I can do tomorrow what others can't.

  

  Ted Yoho
  • Today
  • Tomorrow
  • I Can

• Food doesn't necessarily have to suck in order to be healthy. It doesn't have to be terrible to be healthy anymore.

  

  Daniel Cormier
  • Food
  • Healthy
  • Order

• I have got prostate cancer, and I have to keep monitoring that. It's no problem, it's under control and I'm very cool about it, but other people are dying from it.

  

  Ian Mckellen
  • People
  • Control
  • Problem

• I'm the guy that has written at great length about exactly how we should profoundly reform Social Security. If I were afraid of going after entitlements, I wouldn't have done that, I wouldn't have put Medicaid reform in this budget, I wouldn't have called for the reductions in spending, which people will scream about, but I think are necessary.

  

  Pat Toomey
  • People
  • Great
  • Done

• There is no diplomacy like candor.

  

  E. V. Lucas
  • Like
  • Diplomacy
  • Candor

• I believe that I have been basically anarchistic, anti-religion and anti-industry and business. In other words, anti-bureaucracy. I would like to see people behave well without having to have priests stand by, politicians stand by, or people collecting bills.

  

  B. F. Skinner
  • People
  • Believe
  • Business

• I've done some really off-the-wall stuff and stuff that people might not expect. That's one way to work through people's expectations of you.

  

  Haley Joel Osment
  • People
  • Work
  • Done

• I wrote music as soon as I knew notation.

  

  Harrison Birtwistle
  • Music
  • Knew
  • Wrote

• The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth.

  

  Edith Sitwell
  • Believe
  • Long
  • Truth

• Sometimes people say that coach is a winner, but everyone wants to win. You must know how to behave in victory and in defeat, to look after what is our sport, football.

  

  Vicente del Bosque
  • People
  • Football
  • Win

• I think feminism's a bit misinterpreted. It was about casting off all gender roles. There's nothing wrong with a man holding a door open for a girl. But we sort of threw away all the rules, so everybody's confused. And dating becomes a sloppy, uncomfortable, unpleasant thing.

  

  Zosia Mamet
  • Man
  • Girl
  • Door

• I have no superstitions. I don't have to have a Sunday outfit. I don't have socks or underwear I have to wear.

  

  Zach Johnson The Fray
  • Sunday
  • Superstitions
  • Socks

• Growing up with my dad, whenever I wanted to try something, he would let me try it but he wouldn't let me give up on it. If soccer was too tough and I said, 'I'm going to quit,' he'd be like, 'No, you're going to try everything and keep going at it.'

  

  Carlos Pena, Jr.
  • Up
  • Growing
  • Dad

• I was born a proud daughter of Pakistan, though like all Swatis I thought of myself first as a Swati and Pashtun, before Pakistani.

  

  Malala Yousafzai
  • Proud
  • Myself
  • Thought

• It's difficult to believe that Al Gore was oblivious to the existing laws. He has to respond at some point.

  

  Barbara Olson
  • Believe
  • Difficult
  • Point

• I just get grumpy with bad behaviour.

  

  Anton du Beke
  • Bad

• With the conception that the Revolution was only a means of securing political power, it was inevitable that all revolutionary values should be subordinated to the needs of the Socialist State; indeed, exploited to further the security of the newly acquired governmental power.

  

  Emma Goldman
  • Power
  • Political
  • Revolution

• If the passion for truthfulness is merely controlled and stilled without being satisfied, it will kill the activities it is supposed to support. This may be one of the reasons why, at the present time, the study of the humanities runs a risk of sliding from professional seriousness, through professionalization, to a finally disenchanted careerism.

  

  Bernard Williams
  • Time
  • Why
  • May

• Is that the basis of friendship? Is it as reactive as that? Do we respond only to people who seem to find us interesting?... Do we all buzz or ring or light up when people press our vanity buttons, and only then? Can I think of anyone in my whole life whom I have liked without his first showing signs of liking me?

  

  Wallace Stegner
  • People
  • Friendship
  • Respond

• At present they philosophers seem to be in a very lamentable condition, and such as the poets have given us but a faint notion of in their descriptions of the punishment of Sisyphus and Tantalus. For what can be imagin'd more tormenting, than to seek with eagerness, what for ever flies us; and seek for it in a place, where 'tis impossible it can ever exist?

  

  David Hume
  • Present