A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge

“It is indeed an opinion strangely prevailing amongst men, that houses, mountains, rivers, and in a word all sensible objects have an existence natural or real, distinct from their being perceived by the understanding. But with how great an assurance and acquiescence soever this principle may be entertained in the world; yet whoever shall find in his heart to call it in question, may, if I mistake not, perceive it to involve a manifest contradiction. For what are the forementioned objects but the things we perceive by sense, and what do we perceive besides our own ideas or sensations; and is it not plainly repugnant that any one of these or any combination of them should exist unperceived?' (Berkeley, 1710: 25)””

— George Berkeley

“[T]he communicating of ideas marked by words is not the chief and only end of language, as is commonly supposed.””

— George Berkeley

“We have first raised a dust, and then complain we cannot see.””

— George Berkeley

“IT IS A HARD THING TO SUPPOSE THAT RIGHT DEDUCTIONS FROM TRUE PRINCIPLES SHOULD EVER END IN CONSEQUENCES WHICH CANNOT BE MAINTAINED or made consistent””

— George Berkeley

“Mišljenje da kuće, planine, reke i, jednom rečju, svi čulni objekti, poseduju egzistenciju, prirodnu ili stvarnu, nezavisno od toga da li su opaženi razumom ili ne, zaista neobično preovlađuje među ljudima. Ali ma sa kolikim uverenjem ili slaganjem ovaj princip bio prihvaćen u svetu, ipak svako ko je spreman dag a ispita može, ako se ne varam, opaziti da sadrži očiglednu protivrečnost. Jer, šta su ti objekti do stvari koje opažamo čulima? I šta mi opažamo osim naših sopstvenih ideja ili osećaja? I nije li očigledno apsurdno da bi bilo koji od njih ili bilo koja njihova kombinacija mogla postojati neopaženo?””

— George Berkeley