“The three great things that govern mankind are reason, passi…”

“The three great things that govern mankind are reason, passion and superstition. The first governs a few, the two last share the bulk of mankind and possess them in their turns. But superstition most powerfully produces the greatest mischief.”

— John Locke

Verification

Attributed

Recorded by a reliable secondary source; exact wording may differ.

Imported from Wikiquote; not yet checked by QuoteQuest against the original source.

Source

Title: Wikiquote: John Locke
Type: reference · Secondary source
Held by: Wikiquote

View source at Wikiquote

Context

Journal entry (16 May 1681), quoted in Maurice Cranston, John Locke: A Biography (1957; 1985), p. 200

Cite this source

Locke, John. (n.d.). Wikiquote: John Locke. Wikiquote. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Locke

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Provenance: Wikiquote (CC BY-SA)