Claude Adrien Helvetius Quotes

top of page

Claude Adrien Helvetius, an influential French philosopher of the Enlightenment, is best known for his treatise "On the Mind," which explored the role of environment and education in shaping individual character and intellect. Helvetius's ideas on the nature of knowledge and human development continue to provoke scholarly discourse.

"Genius is nothing but continued attention."

"Genius is nothing but continued attention."

Genius, Attention, Nothing

3

"Harsh counsels have no effect; they are like hammers, which are always repulsed by the anvil."

"Harsh counsels have no effect; they are like hammers, which are always repulsed by the anvil."

Consistency, Effect

5

"By annihilating the desires, you annihilate the mind. Every man without passions has within him no principle of action, nor motive to act."

"By annihilating the desires, you annihilate the mind. Every man without passions has within him no principle of action, nor motive to act."

Action, Man, Mind, Motive

3

"Discipline is simply the art of making the soldiers fear their officers more than the enemy."

"Discipline is simply the art of making the soldiers fear their officers more than the enemy."

Art, Fear, Discipline, Enemy

3

"Truth is the torch that gleams through the fog without dispelling it."

"Truth is the torch that gleams through the fog without dispelling it."

2

bottom of page