Whatsoever we imagine is finite. No man can conceive of infinite swiftness, time or power.

When we say anything is infinite, we signify only that we are not able to conceive the ends and bounds of the thing, but only our own inability. Therefore, the name of God is used, not to make us conceive Him (being incomprehensible), but that we might honour Him. Desire and love are the same thing; save that by desire, we signify the absence of the object; by love, its presence. THE POWER of a man is his present means to obtain some future good, and is either natural or instrumental. Natural power is the eminence of the faculties of body or mind; as strength, eloquence or nobility. Instrumental are those powers which are means to acquire more; as riches, reputation, friends, and the secret working of God which men call good luck. NATURE hath made men so little different in body and mind that every man can claim some benefit to which another may not pretend. And the weakest of body has strength enough to kill the strongest, by secret machination or confederacy with others As to the faculties of mind, howsoever men may acknowledge others more witty, more eloquent or more learned, yet they will hardly believe many to be so wise as themselves. This proveth rather that men are in that point equal, for there is no greater signe of equal distribution than that every man is contented with his share. From this equality, ariseth equality of hope in attaining our ends. Thus, if two men desire the same thing, they become enemies. And from this diffidence of one another, there is no way for any man to be master of all men. So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel: competition, diffidence and glory. Hereby it is manifest that without a common power to keep them all in awe, men are in a condition of war of every man against every man. In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation; no commodious building; no knowledge of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. If any man not trust this inference, let him consider what opinion he has of his fellows when he rides armed or locks his doors; and of his children, and servants, when he locks his chests. But though there never has been any time wherein men were in a condition of such war, saving the savages in America, yet kings and sovereigns are always in continual jealousy, like gladiators, their weapons pointing, their eyes fixed on the forts and frontiers of one another. In this war of every man against every man the notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, have no place. Where there is no common power, there is no law; where no law, no injustice. Force and fraud are, in war, the two cardinal virtues. But the passions that incline men to peace are: fear of death and desire of commodious living. And reason suggesteth convenient articles to attain these, which are called the laws of nature, whereof I shall speak more.