Words are wise men's counters, they do but reckon by them: but they are the money of fools, that value them by the authority of an Aristotle, a Cicero, or a Thomas, or any other doctor whatsoever, if but a man.
Interpretation
Words can represent wisdom for the educated, but fools rely on authority rather than understanding.
In this quote, Thomas Hobbes suggests that wise individuals see words as tools for reasoning and calculation, whereas less discerning individuals place undue value on words based solely on the authority of well-known figures. This highlights the distinction between intellectual insight and blind acceptance of authority, urging individuals to think critically rather than simply accept what they are told based on who said it.
In practice
In a debate session about 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.
if a person wishes to achieve peace of mind and happiness then they should acquire faith, but if they want to be a disciple of truth, which can be "frightening and ugly,” then they need to search.
In the current socio-political climate, he said to himself, committing suicide is absurd and redundant. Better to become an undercover poet.
Every society, all government, and every kind of civil compact therefore, is or ought to be, calculated for the general good and safety of the community.
The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act. A general association takes place, and common interest produces common security.
Like a blazing comet, I've traversed infinite nights, interstellar spaces of the imagination, voluptuousness and fear. I've been a man, a woman, an old person, a little girl, I've been the crowds on the grand boulevards of the capital cities of the West, I've been the serene Buddha of the East, whose calm and wisdom we envy. I've known honor and dishonor, enthusiasm and exhaustion. ...I've been the sun and the moon, and everything because life is not enough.
It is proper to ask for sorrow with Christ in sorrow, anguish with Christ in anguish, tears and deep grief because of the great affliction Christ endures for me.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.