# Quote — Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan

> To say he hath spoken to him in a Dream, is no more then to say he dreamed that God spake to him; which is not of force to win beleef from any man, that knows dreams are for the most part naturall, and may proceed from former thoughts; and such dreams as that, from selfe conceit, and foolish arrogance, and false opinion of a mans own goodlinesse, or other vertue, by which he thinks he hath merited the favour of extraordinary Revelation. To say he hath seen a Vision, or heard a Voice, is to say, that he dreamed between sleeping and waking: for in such manner a man doth many times naturally take his dream for a vision, as not having well observed his own slumbering. To say he speaks by supernaturall Inspiration, is to say he finds an ardent desire to speak, or some strong opinion of himself, for which hee can alledge no naturall and sufficient reason. So that though God Almighty can speak to a man, by Dreams, Visions, Voice, and Inspiration; yet he obliges no man to beleeve he hath so done to him that pretends it; who (being a man) may erre, and (which is more) may lie.

- Author: [Thomas Hobbes](https://www.leafyquotes.com/thomas-hobbes.md)
- Book: [Leviathan](https://www.leafyquotes.com/thomas-hobbes/leviathan.md)
- Page: 271
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Hobbes#Chapter_32) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/thomas-hobbes/leviathan/to-say-he-hath

## More from this book

> And when all the world is overcharged with Inhabitants, then the last remedy of all is Warre, which provideth for every man, by Victory or Death.

p. 181 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/thomas-hobbes/leviathan/and-when-all.md)

> " and where men build on false grounds, the more they build, the greater is the ruine:"

p. 140 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/thomas-hobbes/leviathan/and-where-men.md)

> And for Incoherent Speech, it was amongst the Gentiles taken for one sort of Prophecy, because the Prophets of their Oracles, intoxicated with a spirit, or vapor from the cave of the Pythian Oracle at Delphi, were for a time really mad, and spake like mad-men; of whoose loose words a sense might be made to fit any event, in such sort, as all bodies are said to be made of Materia prima.

p. 226 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/thomas-hobbes/leviathan/and-for-incoherent.md)