Q0244
Thomas Hobbes
A verified English rendering from the curated archive.
English
During the time men live without a common Power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called War.
Source context
This English passage is associated with Leviathan XIII, within the tradition of Modern Political Philosophy. The wording below is a verified rendering prepared for careful reading rather than a claim of unique translation authority.
A short reading
Read in the register of power, the sentence asks the reader to test an assumption rather than to collect a slogan. In Thomas Hobbes's wider work, similar claims are usually offered as prompts for judgment: what would have to be true for the sentence to hold, and what would follow if it did?
How to cite this quotation
APA: Thomas Hobbes. (n.d.). During the time men live without a common Power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called War. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0244
MLA: Thomas Hobbes. “During the time men live without a common….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0244.
Chicago: Thomas Hobbes. “During the time men live without a common….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0244.