To be seduced by Orators, as a Monarch by Flatterers.
Interpretation
This quote warns about the dangers of being swayed by persuasive speakers, similar to how a monarch can be misled by flatterers.
Thomas Hobbes' quote emphasizes the susceptibility of individuals, particularly those in power, to be influenced by eloquent speakers who may not have their best interests at heart. Just as a monarch can fall prey to flattering compliments that distort reality, people can be easily seduced by the charm and rhetoric of orators, leading to misguided decisions and a lack of critical thinking.
In practice
In a speech about the dangers of misinformation, a politician might reference this quote to highlight the importance of critical thinking.
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.
He who can reach a child's heart can reach the worlds heart.
Everybody has a part of her body that she doesn't like, but I've stopped complaining about mine because I don't want to critique nature's handiwork ... My job is simply to allow the light to shine out of the masterpiece.
When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. It shall exclude example and experience.
If you hear a statistic, you will make up a story to go with it, because our brains are organized on narrative. And you may very well make up a wrong story because you only have one fact, which is a statistic.
Experts are just trained dogs.
The best chess-player in Christendom may be little more than the best player of chess; but proficiency in whist implies capacity for success in all those more important undertakings where mind struggles with mind.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.