By Joy [I mean] a passion through which the soul passes to a greater perfection. For Sadness, a passion through which she passes to a lesser perfection
“Ethics” (1677), III, “On the origin and nature of affects”, scolie de la proposition 11, trad. C. Appuhn (1913)
The group thinks, feels, and acts quite differently than its members would if they were isolated
“The Rules of the Sociological Method” (1895)
Publicity
The dream is a rebus
“The Interpretation of the Dream” (1900), trad. JP. Lefebvre, Seuil, 2010
Psychoanalysis wants to promote to conscious recognition that which in the life of the soul is repressed
“On psychoanalysis. Five lessons ”(1910), trans. F. Cambon, Flammarion, coll. Pocket, 2020
Self is not master in its own house
“A Difficulty of psychoanalysis” (1917), in: “The Uneasy Strangeness and other essays” (1919), transl. M. Bonaparte, E. Marty
Experience: this is the foundation of all our knowledge, and it is from there that it originates from
“Essay on human understanding” (1689)
The greatest and the main end that men propose to themselves, when they unite in community and submit to a government, is to KEEP THEIR PROPERTIES.
“Treaty of Civil Government” (1689), chapter 9, transl. D. Mazel, Flammarion, coll. GF, 1992
The idea that one must apply to oneself, take care of oneself ('heautou epimeleisthai') is […] a very old theme in Greek culture. […] It is this theme of self-care, consecrated by Socrates, that later philosophy took up and that it ended up placing at the heart of this “art of existence” that it claims to be.
“History of sexuality, III. Care for oneself ”, Gallimard, 1984
Power, quite simply, is it a war continued by means other than weapons or battles?
“We must defend society”, course at the Collège de France 1975-1976, EHESS / Gallimard / Seuil
We have never been freer than under the German occupation
“The Republic of Silence”, art. appeared in the review “Les Lettres Françaises” n ° 20 (September 9, 1944), in: “Situations, III. Literature and engagement (February 1947-April 1949) ”, Gallimard, 2013
The only limits that freedom encounters, it finds them in freedom
“Being and Nothingness” (1943)
As a being through whom values exist, I am unjustifiable. And my freedom is worried about being the baseless foundation of values
“Being and Nothingness” (1943)
Man, being condemned to be free, carries the weight of the whole world on his shoulders
“Being and Nothingness” (1943)
I can only BE happy in the past […] the past is precisely ONLY this ontological structure which obliges me to be what I am BEHIND. This is what “was” means.
“Being and Nothingness” (1943)
Existence precedes essence
“Existentialism is humanism” (1946)
The disorder in one part can be reconciled with the harmony of the whole
“From the Original Production of Things Taken at Its Root” (1697), in: “Opuscules philosophiques”, trad. P. Schrecker, Vrin, 2001
At all times there is an infinity of perceptions within us […]
“New essays on human understanding” (1704, 1765), in: “Philosophical works of Leibniz”, volume I, text established by P. Janet, Félix Alcan, 1900
God is not the cause of evil […] the root of evil is in nothingness, that is to say in the deprivation or limitation of creatures
“Discourse on metaphysics” (1686)
All substance is like a whole world and like a mirror of God or of the whole universe, each one expresses in its own way, roughly like the same city is variously represented according to the different situations of the one who looks at it.
“Discourse on metaphysics” (1686)
From an infinity of possibilities, God chooses the best
“Correspondence de Leibniz et d'Arnauld, 1686-1690”, in: ”Philosophical works of Leibniz”, volume I, text prepared by P. Janet, Félix Alcan, 1900
It is not only that all strengthening of social bonds, and all healthy growth of society, endows each individual with a stronger personal interest in seeing the welfare of others in practice; it also leads him to identify his feelings more and more with their good […]
“Utilitarianism” (1871), chapter 3, trans. Mr. Lemoine
It is the sum of the particular interests which constitutes the general interest
“Utilitarianism” (1871), trad. P. Folliot, 2008
But what am I? Something that thinks. What is that ? It is indeed a thing which doubts, which knows, which affirms, which denies, which wants, which does not want, which also imagines and which feels
“Metaphysical Meditations” (1641), second meditation
Real duration is what has always been called time, but time perceived as indivisible
“Thought and the moving” (1934), “The perception of change”, GF Flammarion, 2014
To move from intelligence to vision, from the relative to the absolute […] one must […] take a long-term view and recapture reality in the mobility which is its essence.
“Thought and the moving” (1934), introduction, II, GF Flammarion, 2014
Intuition therefore means first of all consciousness, but immediate consciousness, a vision which is hardly distinguishable from the object seen, knowledge which is contact and even coincidence.
“Thought and the moving” (1934), introduction, II, GF Flammarion, 2014
When fathers get used to letting the children do it, when the sons no longer take their word into account, when the teachers tremble in front of their pupils and prefer to flatter them, when finally the young people despise the laws because they no longer recognize the above them the authority of nothing or anyone, so this is in all beauty and youth the beginning of tyranny
“The Republic” (c. 375 BC), trans. L. Robin
As long as the philosophers are not kings, or that those which one calls today kings and sovereigns, will not be really and seriously philosophers […] there is no […] remedy for the evils which desolate the States [ …]
“The Republic” (c. 375 BC), V, 473b-d, trans. L. Robin
The greatest evil is to do injustice
“Gorgias” (c. 380 BC), 469b, trans. L. Robin
[Thinking is] a conversation the soul pursues with itself about what is possibly the object of its examination
“Theaetetus” (c. -369 BC), trad. L. Robin, Gallimard, coll. Pleiade, 1950
The prince, having to act like an animal, will try to be both a fox and a lion: for, if he is only a lion, he will not perceive the snares; if he is only a fox, he will not defend himself against wolves
“Le Prince” (1532), 18, bilingual edition translated and commented by J.-L. Fournel and J.-C. Zancarini, PUF, Paris, 2014
It seemed to me more appropriate to go straight to the actual truth of the thing than to the imagination of it
“Le Prince” (1532), 15, bilingual edition translated and commented by J.-L. Fournel and J.-C. Zancarini, PUF, Paris, 2014
The fate having made that I do not know how to discuss neither the art of silk, nor the art of wool, nor of gains and losses, I must discuss the State
Letter to Francesco Vettori, Ambassador of Florence in Rome (1513)
Insofar as ethics arises from the desire to say something about the ultimate meaning of life, of the absolute good, of that which has absolute value, ethics cannot be science.
“Conference on Ethics” (1929)
It is not the how of the world that is “the mystic”, but the fact that he is
“Tractatus Logico-philosophicus” (1921), trad. P. Hadot
There is undoubtedly an inexpressible; he shows himself; that's the mystic
“Tractatus Logico-philosophicus” (1921), trad. P. Hadot
What is expressed in language, we cannot express it through language
“Tractatus Logico-philosophicus” (1921), trad. P. Hadot
The limits of my language mean the limits of my universe
“Tractatus Logico-philosophicus” (1921), trad. P. Hadot
What we can't talk about, we should keep silent
“Tractatus Logico-philosophicus” (1921), trad. G.-G. Granger
Instead of saying “this proposition has such or such a meaning”, we will say better: this proposition represents such or such state of things.
“Tractatus Logico-philosophicus” (1921), trad. G.-G. Granger
Anything that can in short be thought can be clearly thought out
“Tractatus Logico-philosophicus” (1921), trad. G.-G. Granger
Once and for all, we impose an easy precept: Love, and do what you want
“Ten Treatises on the Epistle of St. John to the Parthians”, also known as “In Epistolam Ioannis ad Parthos Tractatus Decem” (4th-5th centuries), Treaty VII, 8
The present of the past is memory; the present of the present is direct intuition; the present of the future is waiting
“Confessions” (397-401), XI, trans. J. Trabucco, Gallimard, coll. GF, 1937
What then is time? If no one asks me, I know; but if I am asked and I want to explain it, I don't know anymore
“Confessions” (397-401), XI, trans. J. Trabucco, Gallimard, coll. GF, 1937
What to say, finally, if not that it is, because you [God] are? And you spoke, and it was, and your one word did it all
“Confessions” (397-401), XI, trans. J. Trabucco, Gallimard, coll. GF, 1937
Thought is nothing “inside”, it does not exist outside of the world and outside of words
“Phenomenology of perception” (1945), I, chapter 6
Consciousness is the being to the thing through the body
“Phenomenology of perception” (1945)
The freest political community is one whose laws are based on sound reason
“Tractatus theologico-politicus”, also known as “Tractatus theologico-politicus” (1670), chapter 16, trans. R. Caillois, M. Francès & R. Misrahi, Gallimard, coll. Pleiades, 1954
He who has a true idea knows at the same time that he has a true idea and cannot doubt the truth of his knowledge
“Ethics” (1677), II, “On the nature and origin of the soul”, proposition 43, transl. C. Appuhn, 1913
I say that a thing is free when it is by the sole necessity of its nature that it exists and acts […]
“Ethics” (1677), I, “De Dieu”, proposition 28, trans. C. Appuhn, 1913
Men believe they are free for the sole reason that they are aware of their actions and ignorant of the causes by which they are determined.
“Ethics” (1677), III, “On the origin and nature of affects”, scolie de la proposition 2, trad. C. Appuhn, 1913
We do not strive for anything, do not want, want or desire nothing, because we judge it to be good; but, on the contrary, we judge that a thing is good because we strive towards it, want it, crave it and desire it.
“Ethics” (1677), III, “On the origin and nature of affects”, scolie de la proposition 9, trad. C. Appuhn, 1913
Desire is the very essence of man
“Ethics” (1677), IV, “Of the slavery of man or the force of affects”, demonstration of proposition 18, trad. C. Appuhn, 1913
To return to things themselves is to return to this world before the knowledge of which knowledge always speaks, and in respect of which all scientific knowledge is abstract […]
“Phenomenology of perception”, foreword (1945)
The Human Soul cannot be completely destroyed with the Body, but there is something left of it which is eternal
“Ethics” (1677), V, “On the power of the understanding or the freedom of man”, proposition 23, transl. C. Appuhn, 1913
The Soul and the Body are one and the same thing which is conceived sometimes under the attribute of Thought, sometimes under that of Expanse
“Ethics” (1677), III, “On the origin and nature of affects”, scolie de la proposition 2, trad. C. Appuhn, 1913
All that is, is in God
“Ethics” (1677), I, “De Dieu”, proposition 15, trans. C. Appuhn, 1913
The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workers of all countries, unite!
“Manifesto of the Communist Party” (1848), with Friedrich Engels
The history of any society so far is the history of the class struggle
“Manifesto of the Communist Party” (1848), with Friedrich Engels
By acting on external nature, through this movement and by transforming it, he also transforms his own nature.
“The Capital” (1867)
The abolition of religion as the ILLUSORY happiness of the people is the demand for their TRUE happiness
“Contribution to the critique of the philosophy of law of Hegel” (1843, 1927), transl. M. Simon, Aubier, 1971
Man makes religion, religion does not make man
“Contribution to the critique of the philosophy of law of Hegel” (1843, 1927), transl. M. Simon, Aubier, 1971
Religion […] is the opium of the people
“Contribution to the critique of the philosophy of law of Hegel” (1843, 1927), transl. M. Simon