Not believing in force is the same as not believing in gravitation.
Interpretation
Disregarding the notion of power is akin to ignoring the fundamental laws of nature.
In this quote, Thomas Hobbes asserts that the belief in the necessity of force is as essential as the acknowledgment of natural laws like gravity. To deny the importance of force in human affairs is to misunderstand the nature of power dynamics that govern relationships and society, similar to how one cannot ignore the physical laws that govern the universe.
In practice
In a speech on the necessity of regulation in society, I could reference Hobbes' quote to emphasize the importance of acknowledging power structures.
Baptism is the sacrament of allegiance of them that are to be received into the Kingdom of God, that is to say, into Eternal life, that is to say, to Remission of Sin. For as Eternal life was lost by the committing, so it is recovered by the remitting of men's sins.
Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues.
For it is not the shape, but their use, that makes them angels.
For to accuse requires less eloquence, such is man's nature, than to excuse; and condemnation, than absolution, more resembles justice.
Scientia potentia est, sed parva; quia scientia egregia rara est, nec proinde apparens nisi paucissimis, et in paucis rebus. Scientiae enim ea natura est, ut esse intelligi non possit, nisi ab illis qui sunt scientia praediti.
The end of knowledge is power ... the scope of all speculation is the performing of some action or thing to be done.
There is no doubt that healthy-mindedness is inadequate as a philosophical doctrine, because the evil facts which it refuses positively to account for are a genuine portion of reality; and they may after all be the best key to life's significance, and possibly the only openers of our eyes to the deepest levels of truth.
It is natural to give a clear view of the world after accepting the idea that it must be clear.
Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem.
Sing the songs of joy to the Lord, serve the Name of the Lord, and become the servant of His servants.
A woman can walk miles without making one single step forward. As a child born in a harem, I instinctively knew that to live is to open closed doors. To live is to look outside. To live is to step out. Life is trespassing.
An evil-speaker differs from an evil-doer only in the want of opportunity.
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