311 Quotes by Baruch Spinoza

A free man, who lives among ignorant people, tries as much as he can to refuse their benefits. .. He who lives under the guidance of reason endeavours as much as possible to repay his fellow's hatred, rage, contempt, etc. with love and nobleness.

Men govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues, and can moderate their desires more than their words.

If a man had begun to hate an object of his love, so that love is thoroughly destroyed, he will, causes being equal, regard it with more hatred than if he had never loved it, and his hatred will be in proportion to the strength of his former love.

Self-complacency is pleasure accompanied by the idea of oneself as cause.

When we love a thing similar to ourselves, we endeavor, as far as we can, to bring about that it should love us in return.

Only that thing is free which exists by the necessities of its own nature, and is determined in its actions by itself alone.

He who hates anyone will endeavor to do him an injury, unless he fears that a greater injury will thereby accrue to himself; on the other hand, he who loves anyone will, by the same law, seek to benefit him.

Peace is not the absence of war, but a virtue based on strength of character.

If anyone conceives, that an object of his love joins itself to another with closer bonds of friendship than he himself has attained to, he will be affected with hatred towards the loved object and with envy towards his rival.