Others indeed may talk, and write, and fight about liberty, and make an outward pretence to it but the free-thinker alone is truly free.
George BerkeleyRead
Many things, for aught I know, may exist, whereof neither I nor any other man hath or can have any idea or notion whatsoever.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that there are many things in existence that are beyond human comprehension.
George Berkeley's quote emphasizes the limitations of human knowledge and understanding. He suggests that there may be countless realities or entities that exist outside of our perception and that it is possible for humans to be unaware of them entirely. This perspective invites humility regarding the scope of human intellect and opens up a dialogue about the nature of existence and perception.
Themes
KnowledgeExistencePerceptionHumilityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the limits of scientific knowledge, you might quote this to emphasize the unknowns.
More from George Berkeley
All quotes βTo be is to be perceived (Esse est percipi)." Or, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
George BerkeleyRead
Truth is the cry of all, but the game of few.
George BerkeleyRead
All the choir of heaven and furniture of earth - in a word, all those bodies which compose the frame of the world - have not any subsistence without a mind.
George BerkeleyRead
The same principles which at first view lead to skepticism, pursued to a certain point, bring men back to common sense.
George BerkeleyRead
A ray of imagination or of wisdom may enlighten the universe, and glow into remotest centuries.
George BerkeleyRead
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The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.
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