Q0250
“For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call…” — David Hume (Treatise I.4.6)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Treatise I.4.6. Theme: self.
English
For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call myself, I always stumble on some particular perception or other.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Treatise I.4.6 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
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, experience.
Concepts in this quote
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
- Experience
- Experience is the lived encounter with world and self—foundation or limit for knowledge, art, and ethics.
How to cite this quotation
APA: David Hume. (n.d.). For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call myself, I always stumble on some particular perception or other. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0250
MLA: David Hume. “For my part, when I enter most intimately….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0250.
Chicago: David Hume. “For my part, when I enter most intimately….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0250.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “For my part, when I enter most intimately…”?
The passage is attributed to David Hume, Treatise I.4.6. The archive attributes this English wording to Treatise I.4.6 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 self?
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, experience.