Q0433
“Nothing is without a reason.” — Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (Monadology §§31–32)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Monadology §§31–32. Theme: reason.
English
Nothing is without a reason.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Monadology §§31–32 and files it under Rationalism. 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 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) was a German polymath—philosopher, mathematician, jurist, and diplomat—who developed calculus independently of Newton and a metaphysical system of monads. Serving courts at Mainz and Hanover, he corresponded across Europe’s republic of letters.
Interpretation
The principle of sufficient reason is Leibniz's requirement that everything that is the case has a reason why it is so rather than otherwise. He uses it to argue for the existence of a ground of the world and to structure inquiry: an explanation is incomplete until it gives a reason, not merely a regularity. The principle is not empirical — it is a demand that reason makes on any account of things. Later philosophy, especially Hume and Kant, made its status a central problem.
Why it matters
As a working rule it is powerful: asking why this rather than that often moves a question past description toward explanation.
Concepts in this quote
- Reason
- Reason is the capacity to give and assess reasons—central to logic, science, ethics, and public argument.
- Order
- Order names cosmos, ritual, law, and the patterned stability that makes shared life possible—or oppressive.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. (n.d.). Nothing is without a reason. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0433
MLA: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. “Nothing is without a reason..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0433.
Chicago: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. “Nothing is without a reason..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0433.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Nothing is without a reason.”?
The passage is attributed to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Monadology §§31–32. The archive attributes this English wording to Monadology §§31–32 and files it under Rationalism. 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 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz mean by reason?
Philosophers disagree about whether reason is the slave of the passions, the legislator of morality, or one tool among others. The quotations here keep that disagreement in play. This passage enters that discussion through reason, order.