436 Quotes by Edward Gibbon

To a philosophic eye, the vices of the clergy are far less dangerous than their virtues.

I am indeed rich, since my income is superior to my expenses, and my expense is equal to my wishes.

Europe is secure from any future irruptions of Barbarians; since, before they can conquer, they must cease to be barbarous.

Corruption, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty.

The terror of the Roman arms added weight and dignity to the moderation of the emperors. They preserved the peace by a constant preparation for war.

If we contrast the rapid progress of this mischievous discovery [gunpowder] with the slow and laborious advances of reason, science, and the arts of peace, a philosopher, according to his temper, will laugh or weep at the folly of mankind.

The laws of probability, so true in general, so fallacious in particular.

The law of nature instructs most animals to cherish and educate their infant progeny. The law of reason inculcates to the human species the returns of filial piety.

It was the fashion of the times to attribute every remarkable event to the particular will of the Deity; the alterations of nature were connected, by an invisible chain, with the moral and metaphysical opinions of the human mind; and the most sagacious divines could distinguish, according to the colour of their respective prejudices, that the establishment of heresy tended to produce an earthquake, or that a deluge was the inevitable consequence of the progress of sin and error.