David Hume Quotes About Miracles

Quotes about: Miracles

• The Christian religion not only was at first attended with miracles, but even at this day cannot be believed by any reasonable person without one.

  David Hume

  Christian, Religious, Miracle

  An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding "Of Miracles" (1748)

• No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavors to establish.

  David Hume

  Religious, Reality, Miracle

  An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding "Of Miracles" (1748)

• Nothing is so convenient as a decisive argument ... which must at least silence the most arrogant bigotry and superstition, and free us from their impertinent solicitations. I flatter myself, that I have discovered an argument ... which, if just, will, with the wise and learned, be an everlasting check to all kinds of superstitious delusion, and consequently, will be useful as long as the world endures. For so long, I presume, will the accounts of miracles and prodigies be found in all history, sacred and profane.

  David Hume

  Wise, Long, Silence

  David Hume, Eric Steinberg (1992). “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding; [with] A Letter from a Gentleman to His Friend in Edinburgh; [and] An Abstract of a Treatise of Human Nature”, p.73, Hackett Publishing

• The many instances of forged miracles, and prophecies, and supernatural events, which, in all ages, have either been detected by contrary evidence, or which detect themselves by their absurdity, prove sufficiently the strong propensity of mankind to the extraordinary and marvellous, and ought reasonably to begat a suspicion against all relations of this kind.

  David Hume

  Religious, Strong, Miracle

  David Hume (1861). “An Essay on Miracles. No. 10 of the “Philosophical Essays concerning Human Understanding.””, p.10

• When anyone tells me that he saw a dead man restored to life, I immediately consider with myself whether it be more probable that this person should either deceive or be deceived or that the fact which he relates should really have happened. I weigh the one miracle against the other and according to the superiority which I discover, I pronounce my decision. Always I reject the greater miracle. If the falsehood of his testimony would be more miraculous than the event which he relates, then and not till then, can he pretend to command my belief or opinion.

  David Hume

  Men, Decision, Miracle

  David Hume (2016). “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: Revision of Great Book”, p.88, VM eBooks

• There is not to be found, in all history, any miracle attested by a sufficient number of men, of such unquestioned good sense, education and learning, as to secure us against all delusion in themselves.

  David Hume

  Learning, Men, Numbers

  David Hume (1758). “Essays and Treatises on several subjects, etc. New edition”, p.347

• But it is a miracle that a dead man should come to life; because that has never been observed in any age or country.

  David Hume

  Country, Men, Miracle

  David Hume (2012). “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding”, p.123, tredition

• No human testimony can have such force as to prove a miracle, and make it a just foundation for any such system of religion

  David Hume

  Miracle, Foundation, Force

  David Hume, Richard H. Popkin (1998). “Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (Second Edition)”, p.122, Hackett Publishing

• Convulsions in nature, disorders, prodigies, miracles, though the most opposite of the plan of a wise superintendent, impress mankind with the strongest sentiments of religion.

  David Hume

  Wise, Opposites, Miracle

  David Hume (1957). “The Natural History of Religion”, p.42, Stanford University Press

• And whoever is moved by Faith to assent to it, is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person, which subverts all the principles of his understanding, and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience.

  David Hume

  Determination, Believe, Giving

  An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding "Of Miracles" (1748)

• A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined.

  David Hume

  Law, Miracle, Facts

  David Hume (1875). “Essays Moral, Political, and Literary”, p.93

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