Frasi di Thomas Hobbes

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“È il potere, non la verità, che crea le leggi.”

“Ci sono la continua paura e il continuo pericolo di morte violenta e la vita di un uomo è solitaria, povera, odiosa, brutale e breve.”

“L'interesse e la paura sono i principi della società.”

“[Ultime parole] Sto per intraprendere il mio ultimo viaggio, un grande salto nel buio.”

“Ogni uomo ha diritto ad ogni cosa, anche al corpo di un altro uomo. Perciò, finché dura questo diritto naturale di ogni uomo ad ogni cosa, non ci può essere sicurezza per alcuno (per quanto forte o saggio egli sia).”

“La guerra non consiste solo in battaglie o in atti di combattimento, ma di un periodo di tempo, in cui la volontà di contendere in battaglia è abbastanza nota.”

“Le due virtù cardinali in guerra sono la forza e la frode.”

“Nella vita primitiva non vi è la presenza dell'arte; alcuna società costituita; e ciò che è peggio, la paura continua, il pericolo di una morte violenta; la vita dell'uomo è confinata nella solitudine, nella povertà, nella sporcizia, nella brutalità e infine la durata della vita è alquanto breve.”

“Il Papato non è altro che lo spettro del defunto impero romano assiso sulla sua tomba con corona in mano.”

“Indico quindi in primo luogo come inclinazione generale dell'umanità un perpetuo e irrequieto desiderio di potere dopo potere, che cessa solo in morte.”

“Il valore di un uomo è, come per tutte le altre cose, il suo prezzo, cioè quanto si darebbe per l'uso del suo potere.”

“I patti senza la spada sono solo parole e non hanno la forza di difendere nessuno.”

“L'errore di un uomo non diventa la sua legge, né lo obbliga a persistere in esso.”

“L'autorità, non la verità, fa la legge.”

“L'esaltazione degli antichi scrittori procede non dalla reverenza per i morti, ma dallo spirito di rivalità e dalla reciproca invidia dei vivi.”

“[…] gli uomini sono in continua competizione per l'onore e la dignità, cose che quelle creature)”

“L'affabilità, in uomini già potenti, costituisce un aumento di potere, perché li rende amati.”

“La saggezza si acquista non con il leggere i libri ma gli uomini.”

“Fare patti con le bestie brute è impossibile, perché, non intendendo la nostra parola, non intendono né accettano alcuna traslazione di diritto, né possono trasferire alcun diritto ad altri e, senza una accettazione reciproca, non c’è patto.”

“E poiché la condizione dell'uomo (…) è una condizione di guerra di ognuno contro un altro (…) per conseguenza è un precetto o regola generale della ragione che ogni uomo deve procurare la pace tanto, per quanto egli ha la speranza di ottenerla, e, quando non può ottenerla, egli deve cercare e usare tutti i mezzi e i vantaggi della guerra.”

“Quelli che approvano un'opinione privata la chiamano opinione; ma quelli che la disapprovano la chiamano eresia; eppure eresia non significa altro che opinione privata.”

“Dove non c'è un potere comune, non c'è legge, dove non c'è legge, non c'è nessuna ingiustizia. Forza e frode, in guerra, sono le virtù cardinali.”

“Il papato non è altro che il fantasma del defunto impero romano, che siede incoronato sulla sua tomba.”

“Senza spada i patti non sono che parole.”

“Prima bisogna pensare a vivere, poi a fare della filosofia.”

“La gloria improvvisa è la passione che causa quelle smorfie chiamate risate.”

“Le parole sono i gettoni dei saggi, che non fanno i conti con essi, ma sono i soldi degli sciocchi.”

“And when all the world is overcharged with Inhabitants, then the last remedy of all is Warre, which provideth for every man, by Victory or Death.”

“And if a man consider the original of this great Ecclesiastical Dominion, he will easily perceive, that the Papacy, is no other than the Ghost of the deceased Romane Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof: For so did the Papacy start up on a Sudden out of the Ruines of that Heathen Power.”

“Fact be vertuous, or vicious, as Fortune pleaseth;”

“To say he hath spoken to him in a Dream, is no more then to say he dreamed that God spake to him; which is not of force to win beleef from any man, that knows dreams are for the most part naturall, and may proceed from former thoughts; and such dreams as that, from selfe conceit, and foolish arrogance, and false opinion of a mans own goodlinesse, or other vertue, by which he thinks he hath merited the favour of extraordinary Revelation. To say he hath seen a Vision, or heard a Voice, is to say, that he dreamed between sleeping and waking: for in such manner a man doth many times naturally take his dream for a vision, as not having well observed his own slumbering. To say he speaks by supernaturall Inspiration, is to say he finds an ardent desire to speak, or some strong opinion of himself, for which hee can alledge no naturall and sufficient reason. So that though God Almighty can speak to a man, by Dreams, Visions, Voice, and Inspiration; yet he obliges no man to beleeve he hath so done to him that pretends it; who (being a man) may erre, and (which is more) may lie.”

“And seeing every man is presumed to do all things in order to his own benefit, no man is a fit Arbitrator in his own cause:”

“And in these foure things, Opinion of Ghosts, Ignorance of second causes, Devotion towards what men fear, and Taking of things Casuall for Prognostics, consisteth the Natural seed of Religion; which by reason of the different Fancies, Judgements, and Passions of severall men, hath grown up into ceremonies so different, that those which are used by one man, are for the most part ridiculous to another.”

“And as in other things, so in men, not the seller, but the buyer determines the Price.”

“The Register of Knowledge of Fact is called History.”

“He that is to govern a whole Nation, must read in himself, not this, or that particular man; but Mankind; which though it be hard to do, harder than to learn any Language, or Science; yet, when I shall have set down my own reading orderly, and perspicuously, the pains left another, will be only to consider, if he also find not the same in himself. For this kind of Doctrine, admitteth no other Demonstration.”

“That a man be willing, when others are so too, as farre-forth, as for Peace, and defence of himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down this right to all things; and be contented with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow other men against himself.”

“For such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned; Yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves: For they see their own wit at hand, and other men's at a distance.”

“And this Feare of things invisible, is the naturall Seed of that, which every one in himself calleth Religion; and in them that worship, or feare that Power otherwise than they do, Superstition.”

“For all uniting of strength by private men, is, if for evil intent, unjust; if for intent unknown, dangerous to the Publique, and unjustly concealed.”

“Christian Kings may erre in deducing a Consequence, but who shall Judge?”

“The Value or WORTH of a man, is as of all other things, his Price; that is to say, so much as would be given for the use of his Power…”

“Art goes… imitating that Rationall and most excellent worke of Nature, Man. For by Art is created that great Leviathan called a Common-Wealth or State, (in latine Civitas) which is but an Artificiall Man; though of greater stature and strength than the Naturall, for whose protection and defence it was intended; and in which the Soveraignty is an Artificiall Soul, as giving life and motion to the whole body; The Magistrates, and other Officers of Judicature and Execution, artificiall Joynts; Reward and Punishment (by which fastned to the seate of the Soveraignty, every joynt and member is moved to performe his duty) are the Nerves, that do the same in the Body Naturall; The Wealth and Riches of all the particular members, are the Strength; Salus Populi (the peoples safety) its Businesse; Counsellors, by whom all things needfull for it to know, are suggested unto it, are the Memory; Equity and Lawes, an artificiall Reason and Will; Concord, Health; Sedition, Sicknesse; and Civill war, Death.”

“But all this language gotten, and augmented by Adam and his posterity, was again lost at the tower of Babel, when by the hand of God, every man was stricken for his rebellion, with an oblivion of his former language.”

“Another doctrine repugnant to Civill Society, is that whatsoever a man does against his Conscience, is Sinne; and it dependeth on the presumption of making himself judge of Good and Evill. For a man's Conscience and his Judgement are the same thing, and as the Judgement, so also the Conscience may be erroneous.”

“As first a man cannot lay down the right of resisting them, that assault him by force, to take away his life; because he cannot be understood to ayme thereby, at any Good to himself.”

“The doctrine of Right and Wrong, is perpetually disputed, both by Pen and the Sword: Whereas the doctrine of Lines, and Figures, is not so; because men care not, in that subject what be truth, as a thing that crosses no mans ambition, profit, or lust. For I doubt not, but if it had been a thing contrary to any mans right of dominion, or to the interest of men that have dominion, That the three Angles of a Triangle, should be equall to two Angles of a Square; that doctrine should have been, if not disputed, yet by the burning of all books of Geometry, suppressed, as far as he whom it concerned was able.”

“The RIGHT OF NATURE, which Writers commonly call Jus Naturale, is the Liberty each man hath, to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own Nature; that is to say, of his own Life; and consequently, of doing any thing, which in his own Judgement, and Reason, he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto.”

“And Beasts that have Deliberation, must necessarily also have Will.”

“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.”

“For such Truth as opposeth no man's profit nor pleasure is to all men welcome.”

“And whereas many men, by accident unevitable, become unable to maintain themselves by their labour; they ought not to be left to the Charity of private persons; but to be provided for, (as far-forth as the necessities of Nature require,) by the Lawes of the Common-wealth. For as it is Unchariablenesse in any man, to neglect the impotent; so it is in the Soveraign of a Common-wealth, to expose them to the hazard of such uncertain Charity.”

“No man's error becomes his own Law; nor obliges him to persist in it.”

“Men looke not at the greatnesse of the evill past, but the greatnesse of the good to follow.”

“Sudden Glory, is the passion which maketh those Grimaces called LAUGHTER.”

“But yet they that have no Science, are in better, and nobler condition with their naturall Prudence; than men, that by their mis-reasoning, or by trusting them that reason wrong, fall upon false and absurd generall rules.”