My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.
—Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) English Theoretical Physicist, Cosmologist, Academic
In the very books in which philosophers bid us scorn fame, they inscribe their names
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
One cannot conceive anything so strange and so implausible that it has not already been said by one philosopher or another.
—Rene Descartes (1596–1650) French Mathematician, Philosopher
The natural philosophers are mostly gone. We modern scientists are adding too many decimals
—Martin H. Fischer
Every system of philosophy is little in comparison with Christianity.—Philosophy may expand our ideas of creation, but it neither inspires love to the moral character of the Creator, nor a well-groomed hope of eternal life.—At most, it can only place us on the top of Pisgah, and there, like Moses, we must die; it gives us no possession of the good land.—It is the province of Christianity to add, “All is yours.”
—Anonymous
Philosophy is a proud, sullen detector of the poverty and misery of man. It may turn him from the world with a proud, sturdy contempt; but it cannot come forward and say, here are rest, grace, pardon, peace, strength, and consolation.
—Richard Cecil
Consciousness is either inexplicable illusion, or else revelation
—C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish-born British Academic, Author, Literary Scholar
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
A fool’s brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
A new philosophy generally means in practice the praise of some old vice.
—G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) English Journalist, Novelist, Essayist, Poet
My advice to you is to get married. If you find a good wife, you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher.
—Socrates (469BCE–399BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher
This is patently absurd; but whoever wishes to become a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by absurdities.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
There is no statement so absurd that no philosopher will make it
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
If this is philosophy it is at any rate a philosophy that is not in its right mind.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–99) German Philosopher, Physicist
Philosophy is to the real world as masturbation is to sex.
—Karl Marx (1818–1883) German Philosopher, Economist
Philosophy recovers itself when it ceases to be the device for dealing with the problems of philosophers and becomes the method, cultivated by philosophers, for dealing with the problems of men.
—John Dewey (1859–1952) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Educator
The origins of disputes between philosophers is, that one class of them have undertaken to raise man by displaying his greatness, and the other to debase him by showing his miseries.
—Blaise Pascal (1623–62) French Mathematician, Physicist, Theologian
To teach how to live with uncertainty, yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy can do.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
I have always taken as the standard of the mode of teaching and writing, not the abstract, particular, professional philosopher, but universal man, that I have regarded man as the criterion of truth, and not this or that founder of a system, and have from the first placed the highest excellence of the philosopher in this, that he abstains, both as a man and as an author, from the ostentation of philosophy, i.e., that he is a philosopher only in reality, not formally, that he is a quiet philosopher, not a loud and still less a brawling one.
—Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach (1804–72) German Materialist Philosopher
The intelligentsia …was kept busy embroidering white stitches on the philosophical and ecclesiastical vestments of the bourgeoisie – that old and filthy fabric besmeared with the blood of toiling masses.
—Maxim Gorky (1868–1936) Russian Writer, Dramatist, Political Activist, Novelist
Philosophy is not a theory but an activity.
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) Austrian-born British Philosopher
There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest—whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories—comes afterwards. These are games; one must first answer.
—Albert Camus (1913–60) Algerian-born French Philosopher, Dramatist, Essayist, Novelist, Author
The traditional disputes of philosophers are, for the most part, as unwarranted as they are unfruitful.
—A. J. Ayer (1910–89) English Philosopher
To be a real philosopher all that is necessary is to hate some one else’s type of thinking.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
Metaphysics is a restaurant where they give you a thirty thousand page menu, and no food.
—Robert M. Pirsig (b.1928) American Writer, Philosopher, Author
And this activity alone would seem to be loved for its own sake; for nothing arises from it apart from the contemplating, while from practical activities we gain more or less apart from the action. And happiness is thought to depend on leisure; for we are busy that we may have leisure, and make war that we may live in peace
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
According to the saying of an ancient philosopher, one should eat to live, and not live to eat
—Moliere (1622–73) French Playwright
Philosophy is the science which considers truth.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
To philosophize in a just sense, is but to carry good breeding a step higher. For the accomplishment of breeding is, to learn what is decent in company or beautiful in arts; and the sum of philosophy is to learn what is just in society, and beautiful in nature and the order of the world.
—Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (1621–83) British Statesman
Only the extremely ignorant or the extremely intelligent can resist change.
—Socrates (469BCE–399BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher