Baron d'Holbach Quotes

German-born French philosopher (1723–1789)

Add quote

Baron d'Holbach, Paul-Henri Thiry (8 December 1723 – 21 January 1789) was a French author, philosopher and encyclopedist. He was born Paul Heinrich Dietrich in Edesheim, Germany. He is most famous as being one of the first self-described atheists in Europe.

From: Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Pen Names: Abbé Bernier

Native Name: Paul Heinrich Dietrich von Holbach

Alternative Names: Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach • Paul-Henri Thiry, baron d'Holbach • Paul Henri Thiry d’Holbach, baron d’Holbach • Baron von Holbach • Baron Paul Henri Thiry d’Holbach • Paul Heinrich Holbach

From Wikidata (CC0)

If the ignorance of nature gave birth to such a variety of gods, the knowledge of this nature is calculated to destroy them.

It is thus superstition infatuates man from his infancy, fills him with vanity, and enslaves him with fanaticism.

We are all just cogs in a machine, doing what we were always meant to do, with no actual volition. (1770)