The Scot David Hume ( 1711-1776 ) was a sceptic philosopher, as quoted in post 1, but I found a positive quote, fitting in this CHESS-forum, " Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them " ; e.g. nice situations on the chess board !
David Hume
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ilgambittoo wrote:
The famous English philospher.
The famous quote.
"Whenever I go in, I never meet any self. All that I meet are only reflections of the outside world -- a thought, some emotion, some feeling. I never meet the innerness, I only meet the outside world reflected in."
If it is a "famous quote", why are there no references to it online other than by one obscure Indian yogi?
I could not find it at davidhume.org in the works of David Hume. There is a search tool and according to that website, Hume did not use the phrase "whenever I go in" or even the more rarely used word "innerness".
I think it is more likely a paraphrase than a quote-- most likely a reflection of a reflection on the outside world. Perhaps someone else can provide a real quote from Hume along the lines of what moved the Indian yogi?
Aha. Hume denies that there is an "innerness" or "self" in his "Treatise of Human Nature". You can find the original source of the Yogi's paraphrase on page 252.
“For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call myself, I always stumble on some particular perception or other, of heat or cold, light or shade, love or hatred, pain or pleasure. I never can catch myself at any time without a perception, and never can observe any thing but the perception…. If any one, upon serious and unprejudic'd reflection thinks he has a different notion of himself, I must confess I can reason no longer with him. All I can allow him is, that he may be in the right as well as I, and that we are essentially different in this particular. He may, perhaps, perceive something simple and continu'd, which he calls himself; tho' I am certain there is no such principle in me.”
And the Yogi spends his time explaining how Hume has it all wrong and how great things can come from staring at a wall.
Hmm, your self may vary.
The famous English philospher.
The famous quote.
"Whenever I go in, I never meet any self. All that I meet are only reflections of the outside world -- a thought, some emotion, some feeling. I never meet the innerness, I only meet the outside world reflected in."