Top Herbert Spencer Quotes

Herbert Spencer Biography

Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher, biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist of the Victorian era.

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Herbert Spencer Quotes

Morality knows nothing of geographical boundaries, or distinctions of race.

Boundaries, Distinctions, Geographical, Morality, Race

Do not try to produce an ideal child, it would find no fitness in this world.

Child, Children, Ideal, Trying, World

The universal basis of co-operation is the proportioning of benefits received to services rendered.

Bases, Benefits, Operations, Received, Universal

Mental power cannot be got from ill-fed brains.

Brain, Brains, Feds, Ill, Mental, Power

It is a commonly observed fact that the enslavement of women is invariably associated with a low type of social life, and that, conversely, her elevation towards an equality with man uniformly accompanies progress.

Equality, Invariably, Life, Men, Progress, Towards

Those who have never entered upon scientific pursuits know not a tithe of the poetry by which they are surrounded.

Know, Pursuit, Pursuits, Science, Serious, Surrounded

Though, probably, no competent geologist would contend that the European classification of strata is applicable to all other parts of the globe, yet most, if not all geologists, write as though it were so.

Applicable, Europe, Geologists, Probably, Science, Writing

No philosopher's stone of a constitution can produce golden conduct from leaden instincts.

Stones, Golden, Philosopher, Constitution, Instincts, Stone

What, then, do they want a government for? Not to regulate commerce; not to educate the people; not to teach religion, not to administer charity; not to make roads and railways; but simply to defend the natural rights of man -- to protect person and property -- to prevent the aggressions of the powerful upon the weak -- in a word, to administer justice. This is the natural, the original, office of a government. It was not intended to do less: it ought not to be allowed to do more.

Make, Men, Powerful, Railways, Rights, Roads

Society exists for the benefit of its members - not the members for the benefit of society.

Liberty, Benefits, Libertarian, Members, Benefit, Society

Equity knows no difference of sex. In its vocabulary the word man must be understood in a generic, and not in a specific sense.

Sex, Men, Vocabulary, Man, Word, Difference

Courage is worthy of respect when displayed in the maintenance of legitimate claims and in the repelling of aggressions, bodily or other. Courage is worthy of yet higher respect when danger is faced in defence of claims common to self and others, as in resistance to invasion. Courage is worthy of the highest respect when risk to life or limb is dared in defence of others.

Aggressions, Bodily, Courage, Risk, Self

Science is organized knowledge.

Knowledge, Management, Organized, Science

Life is not for learning nor is life for working, but learning and working are for life.

Balance, Learning, Life, Life Balance, Life Is, Working

It is a mistake to assume that government must necessarily last forever. The institution marks a certain stage of civilization-is natural to a particular phase of human development. It is not essential, but incidental. As amongst the Bushmen we find a state antecedent to government, so may there be one in which it shall have become extinct.

Civilization, Government, Institution, Marks, Mistake

To play billiards well was a sign of an ill-spent youth

Billiards, Gambling, Play, Sign, Youth

Agnostics are people who, like myself, confess themselves to be hopelessly ignorant concerning a variety of matters, about which metaphysicians and theologians, both orthodox and heterodox, dogmatize with the utmost confidence.

Atheism, Confidence, Dogmatize, Ignorant, People, Utmost

No phrase can convey the idea of surprise so vividly as opening the eyes and raising the eyebrows. A shrug of the shoulders would lose much by translation into words.

Convey, Eye, Ideas, Phrase, Phrases, Words

Evil perpetually tends to disappear.

Disappear, Evil, Perpetually, Tends

Reading is seeing by proxy.

Library, Proxy, Reading, Seeing

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Herbert Spencer Biography

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