That a man be willing, when others are so too, as far forth as for peace and defense of himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down this right to all things; and be contented with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow other men against himself.
Meaning of the quote
To put it simply, Thomas Hobbes believed that people should be willing to give up some of their rights and freedoms, as long as everyone else does the same. This allows for peace and security, where each person has the same amount of liberty as everyone else. In other words, we should be willing to compromise and cooperate for the greater good of society.
About Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes was an influential English philosopher best known for his 1651 book Leviathan, which outlined his ideas on social contract theory and the nature of political authority. Hobbes had a fascinating life, overcoming a difficult childhood to become a renowned scholar and intellectual who profoundly shaped modern political philosophy.
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Sudden glory is the passion which maketh those grimaces called laughter.
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The flesh endures the storms of the present alone; the mind, those of the past and future as well as the present. Gluttony is a lust of the mind.
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Fear of things invisible in the natural seed of that which everyone in himself calleth religion.
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During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that conditions called war; and such a war, as if of every man, against every man.
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They that approve a private opinion, call it opinion; but they that dislike it, heresy; and yet heresy signifies no more than private opinion.
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The praise of ancient authors proceeds not from the reverence of the dead, but from the competition and mutual envy of the living.
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Leisure is the Mother of Philosophy.
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The right of nature… is the liberty each man hath to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life.
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A man cannot lay down the right of resisting them that assault him by force, to take away his life.
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