Theme

Equality philosophy quotes

Philosophy quotations on equality, gathered from verified English renderings across traditions.

Why this theme matters

This theme page collects 8 English passages that touch equality as a philosophical concern—whether as a concept to define, a value to pursue, or a problem to examine.

In the history of philosophy

Related discussions appear across Greek, Chinese, Indian, Islamic, and modern European traditions. Use the quotations below as entry points, then follow thinker pages for fuller context.

Thinkers in this collection

The Great Learning , Mary Wollstonecraft , John Locke , Zhuangzi , René Descartes , John Stuart Mill

Frequently asked questions

What did philosophers say about equality?

They approached equality from ethics, metaphysics, politics, and lived practice. The passages below show several of those angles in compact form.

Where can I find philosophy quotes about equality?

This archive page is organized for that search intent: verified English quotations, with links to thinkers and related themes.

How should I read these quotations?

Read the sentence first, then check school and source. A quotation is a doorway into an argument, not a substitute for the surrounding text.

  1. From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all alike take the cultivation of the person as the root.
  2. I do not wish them to have power over men; but over themselves.
  3. The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it…Reason…teaches all mankind…that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.
  4. Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly…He did not know whether Zhou had dreamed he was a butterfly, or a butterfly was dreaming it was Zhou.
  5. Good sense is the best distributed thing in the world.
  6. It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied.
  7. Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.
  8. Heaven and earth were born together with me, and the myriad things and I are one.