Q0674
“Be a philosopher; but… be still a man” — David Hume (The Sceptic)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Sceptic (1742). Theme: human nature.
English
Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Sceptic (1742) 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.
Interpretation
The sentence closes Hume's essay "The Sceptic" (1742), where he has spent pages arguing that philosophical systems have almost no power to change what people feel or how they live. It is not a renunciation of philosophy but a placement of it: reflection is an activity conducted by beings who also have bodies, tempers, tables, and company. Hume's own practice matches the sentence — after skeptical arguments that seem to dissolve everything, he reports dining and backgammon pulling him back, and treats that return as data, not weakness.
Why it matters
It supplies a test for any worldview you are considering: can an actual human live it, on an ordinary Tuesday? A philosophy that requires you to stop being a person to be consistent has, for Hume, disqualified itself rather than you.
Concepts in this quote
- Human Nature
- Human Nature appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat human nature as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- 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.). Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0674
MLA: David Hume. “Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy,….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0674.
Chicago: David Hume. “Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy,….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0674.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy,…”?
The passage is attributed to David Hume, The Sceptic (1742). The archive attributes this English wording to The Sceptic (1742) 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 human nature?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Aristotle and Blaise Pascal), human nature is framed through Peripatetic School and Christian Existential Precursor. Some passages define human nature; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through human nature, wisdom.