Q0249
“A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.” — David Hume (Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding X)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding X. Theme: knowledge.
English
A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding X and files it under Scottish Enlightenment. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About David Hume
David Hume (1711–1776) was the Scottish Enlightenment’s greatest empiricist and skeptical naturalist, author of the Treatise of Human Nature and later Enquiries. Largely denied academic chairs over religious suspicion, he served as librarian and diplomat and wrote a bestselling History of England.
How to read this passage
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, wisdom.
Concepts in this quote
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Wisdom
- Wisdom is practical insight under uncertainty: knowing what matters, what one does not know, and how to act without false certainty.
How to cite this quotation
APA: David Hume. (n.d.). A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0249
MLA: David Hume. “A wise man proportions his belief to the….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0249.
Chicago: David Hume. “A wise man proportions his belief to the….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0249.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “A wise man proportions his belief to the…”?
The passage is attributed to David Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding X. The archive attributes this English wording to Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding X and files it under Scottish Enlightenment. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does David Hume mean by knowledge?
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, wisdom.