24 Quotes by Joseph Butler
- The Epistles in the New Testament have all of them a particular reference to the condition and usages of the Christian world at the time they were written.
- The object of self-love is expressed in the term self; and every appetite of sense, and every particular affection of the heart, are equally interested or disinterested, because the objects of them all are equally self or somewhat else.
- Remember likewise there are persons who love fewer words, an inoffensive sort of people, and who deserve some regard, though of too still and composed tempers for you.
- God Almighty is, to be sure, unmoved by passion or appetite, unchanged by affection; but then it is to be added that He neither sees nor hears nor perceives things by any senses like ours; but in a manner infinitely more perfect.
- The final causes, then, of compassion are to prevent and to relieve misery.
- For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
- The tongue may be employed about, and made to serve all the purposes of vice, in tempting and deceiving, in perjury and injustice.
- There is a much more exact correspondence between the natural and moral world than we are apt to take notice of.
- Things and actions are what they are, and the consequences of them will be what they will be: why then should we desire to be deceived?
- Thus self-love as one part of human nature, and the several particular principles as the other part, are, themselves, their objects and ends, stated and shown.
- This was the man, this Balaam, I say, was the man, who desired to die the death of the righteous, and that his last end might be like his; and this was the state of his mind when he pronounced these words.
- Thus there is no doubt the eye was intended for us to see with.
- The private interest of the individual would not be sufficiently provided for by reasonable and cool self-love alone; therefore the appetites and passions are placed within as a guard and further security, without which it would not be taken due care of.
- Self-love then does not constitute THIS or THAT to be our interest or good; but, our interest or good being constituted by nature and supposed, self-love only puts us upon obtaining and securing it.
- However, without considering this connection, there is no doubt but that more good than evil, more delight than sorrow, arises from compassion itself; there being so many things which balance the sorrow of it.
- Love of our neighbour, then, has just the same respect to, is no more distant from, self-love, than hatred of our neighbour, or than love or hatred of anything else.
- Man may act according to that principle or inclination which for the present happens to be strongest, and yet act in a way disproportionate to, and violate his real proper nature.
- Every one of our passions and affections hath its natural stint and bound, which may easily be exceeded; whereas our enjoyments can possibly be but in a determinate measure and degree.
- People might love themselves with the most entire and unbounded affection, and yet be extremely miserable.
- Every man is to be considered in two capacities, the private and public; as designed to pursue his own interest, and likewise to contribute to the good of others.
- Both our senses and our passions are a supply to the imperfection of our nature; thus they show that we are such sort of creatures as to stand in need of those helps which higher orders of creatures do not.
- Compassion is a call, a demand of nature, to relieve the unhappy as hunger is a natural call for food.
- Consequently it will often happen there will be a desire of particular objects, in cases where they cannot be obtained without manifest injury to others.
- Pain and sorrow and misery have a right to our assistance: compassion puts us in mind of the debt, and that we owe it to ourselves as well as to the distressed.
Privacy policy
