A free man thinks of nothing less than of death, and his wisdom is a meditation not on death but on life.
Homo liber de nulla re minus quam de morte cogitat; et eius sapientia non mortis sed vitae meditatio est.
Philosophers
Benedictus de Spinoza
Born in Amsterdam in 1632, Baruch de Spinoza was a heretical philosopher who was excommunicated from the Jewish community and earned his living grinding lenses. In his masterwork Ethics, he used the geometric method to demonstrate the identity of God and Nature, establishing himself — alongside Descartes and Leibniz — as one of the pillars of early-modern rationalism. His pantheistic worldview deeply impressed thinkers from Goethe to Einstein and quietly shaped the currents of modern thought.
View this figure's profile
Benedictus de Spinoza's Other Quotes
Related Quotes
Do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in few.
-- Pythagoras
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
-- William James
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.
-- Steve Jobs
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
-- Bertrand Russell
If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please a few.
-- Gustav Klimt
To create original products, you need an environment where original people can operate freely.
-- Masaru Ibuka