George Berkeley

Philosophy Irish 1685 – 1753 93 quotes

An empiricist who famously argued for subjective idealism, stating 'Esse est percipi' ('To be is to be perceived').

Quotes by George Berkeley

We perceive distance by the help of motion.

An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision 1709

The soul is the same in all living creatures, though the body of each is different.

A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge 1710

Time, place, and motion are not absolute but relative.

De Motu 1721

Absolute space is a mere idea, not a real thing.

De Motu 1721

Infidelity is a disease of the intellect.

Alciphron 1732

The fire that warms us is not the same as the fire that burns us.

Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous 1713

Nothing can be plainer than that the motions, figures, and qualities of objects are perceived by the senses.

A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge 1710

The mind of man is a mirror of the divine.

Siris 1744

Philosophy is the study of the soul.

Speech

Happiness consists in the enjoyment of inactive pleasures.

Personal reflection

The chain of causes and effects is endless.

Siris 1744

Light is the most ancient and universal emblem of the divine.

Siris 1744

We see a man; we do not see his soul.

Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous 1713

The existence of God is the most important truth.

A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge 1710

Skepticism is the most absurd of all positions.

Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous 1713

The senses are the windows of the soul.

Letter

Virtue is the habit of doing good to others.

Alciphron 1732

Atheism is against not only religion but philosophy.

Alciphron 1732

The mathematician is a mere machine.

The Analyst 1734

Ghosts and fairies are real, but only in the mind.

A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge 1710