The 19th century was a time of great philosophical exploration and thought. Here are 25 famous philosophy quotes from that era:
- “Man is condemned to be free.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
- “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” – Socrates (Ancient Greek philosopher, often quoted in the 19th century)
- “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” – Karl Marx
- “Existence precedes essence.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
- “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates
- “God is dead, and we have killed him.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
- “History is the judge — its executioner, the proletarian.” – Karl Marx
- “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” – Karl Marx
- “I think, therefore I am.” – René Descartes (17th-century philosopher, but often referenced in the 19th century)
- “The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation.” – Jeremy Bentham
- “To be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious of our own existence.” – John Stuart Mill
- “The will to power is the will to live.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
- “Art is the highest task and the proper metaphysical activity of this life.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
- “Everything that exists is born for no reason, carries on living through weakness, and dies by accident.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
- “The world is my representation.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
- “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
- “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.” – Henry David Thoreau
- “Philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein
- “The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
- “Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Superman — a rope over an abyss.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
- “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
- “All I know is that I am not a Marxist.” – Karl Marx (indicating that his ideas were often misinterpreted or distorted)
- “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa
- “In nature, there is no finality; there is an eternity of repetition.” – Albert Camus
- “I think it’s an actor’s responsibility to change every time. Not only for himself, but for the people who look at him.” – Jean-Paul Belmondo
These quotes capture the diversity of thought and the profound ideas that emerged during the 19th century, influencing philosophy for generations to come.