---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The chief benefit, which results from…"
description: "\"The chief benefit, which results from philosophy, arises in an indirect manner, and proceeds more from its secret, insensible influence, than from its ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/david-hume-538_application_the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-phi_2301922.jpg"
---

#  The chief benefit, which results from philosophy, arises…

![“The chief benefit, which results from philosophy, arises in an indirect manner, and proceeds more from its secret, insensible influence, than from its immediate application.” quote by David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/david-hume-538_application_the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-phi_2301922.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/david-hume-538_application_the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-phi_2301922.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/david-hume-538_application_the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-phi_2301922.jpg)

> “The chief benefit, which results from philosophy, arises in an indirect manner, and proceeds more from its secret, insensible influence, than from its immediate application.”

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Philosophy’s greatest value lies in its subtle, indirect influence on thought, more than direct practical use.

**In simple terms:** Philosophy subtly shapes thinking, more than direct results.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate philosophy’s indirect power on worldview.

Themes

philosophy knowledge influence indirect effect

Mood

thoughtful intellectual inquisitive

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- education curricula
- public discourse
- personal reflection
- policy making

Key Concepts

critical thinking epistemology intellectual humility

Questions to Reflect On

- How does philosophy affect your daily decisions?
- Can indirect influence be as valuable as direct?

A Different Perspective

Its impact can be hard to measure, making justification difficult.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/)

## Related quotes

> [Philosophy arises from an unusually obstinate attempt to arrive at real knowledge. What passes for knowledge in ordinary life suffers from three defects: it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/philosophy-arises-from-an-unusually-obstinate-attempt-to-arrive-at/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/because-philosophy-arises-from-awe-a-philosopher-is-bound-in-his-way/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [The spontaneous tendency to invoke a Final Cause in explanation of every difficulty is characteristic of metaphysical philosophy. It arises from a general tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-spontaneous-tendency-to-invoke-a-final-cause-in-explanation-of/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [The minds of men are mirrors to one another, not only because they reflect each other's emotions, but also because those rays of passions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-minds-of-men-are-mirrors-to-one-another-not-only-because-they/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [The man whose whole activity is diverted to inner meditation becomes insensible to all his surroundings. His passions are mere appearances, being sterile. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-durkheim/the-man-whose-whole-activity-is-diverted-to-inner-meditation-becomes-2/)

[Emile Durkheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-durkheim/)

> [Those who have virtue always in their mouths, and neglect it in practice, are like a harp, which emits a sound pleasing to others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/those-who-have-virtue-always-in-their-mouths-and-neglect-it-in/)

[Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/)

> [To render ourselves insensible to pain we must forfeit also the possibilities of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lubbock/to-render-ourselves-insensible-to-pain-we-must-forfeit-also-the/)

[John Lubbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lubbock/)

> [A man is insensible to the relish of prosperity 'til he has tasted adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadi/a-man-is-insensible-to-the-relish-of-prosperity-til-he-has-tasted/)

[Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadi/)

> [ So, Fabricius, I already have this: that the most true path of the planet \[Mars\] is an ellipse, which Dürer also calls an oval,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/so-fabricius-i-already-have-this-that-the-most-true-path-of-the/)

[Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/)

> [The conscience of America seems to be paralyzed... We seem to be insensible to the things that are now taking place on motion picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-conscience-of-america-seems-to-be-paralyzed-we-seem-to-be/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [To stand well in the estimation of one's country is a happiness that no rational creature can be insensible of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/to-stand-well-in-the-estimation-of-one-s-country-is-a-happiness-that/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [The man whose whole activity is diverted to inner meditation becomes insensible to all his surroundings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-durkheim/the-man-whose-whole-activity-is-diverted-to-inner-meditation-becomes/)

[Emile Durkheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-durkheim/)

> [“If your mind is not in the present time, your body will look like a dead body, cold and insensible!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-your-mind-is-not-in-the-present-time-your-body-will-look-like-a/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Sorrow and frustration have their power. The world is moved by people with great discontents. Happiness is a drug. It can make men blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/sorrow-and-frustration-have-their-power-the-world-is-moved-by-people/)

[Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/)

> [Don Quixote followed nature, and being satisfied with his first sleep, did not solicit more. As for Sancho, he never wanted a second, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/don-quixote-followed-nature-and-being-satisfied-with-his-first-sleep/)

[Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/)

## More by David Hume

> [“Beauty in things exists in the mind that contemplates them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/beauty-in-things-exists-in-the-mind-that-contemplates-them/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“It is impossible for us to think of any thing, which we have not antecedently felt, either by our external or internal senses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/it-is-impossible-for-us-to-think-of-any-thing-which-we-have-not/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [All morality depends upon our sentiments; and when any action or quality of the mind pleases us after a certain manner we say it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/all-morality-depends-upon-our-sentiments-and-when-any-action-or/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [And indeed nothing but the most determined scepticism, along with a great degree of indolence, can justify this aversion to metaphysics. For if truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/and-indeed-nothing-but-the-most-determined-scepticism-along-with-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [...virtue is attended by more peace of mind than vice, and meets with a more favourable reception from the world. I am sensible, that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/virtue-is-attended-by-more-peace-of-mind-than-vice-and-meets-with-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction, than the affirmation, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/that-the-sun-will-not-rise-tomorrow-is-no-less-intelligible-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [We may conclude, therefore, that, in order to establish laws for the regulation of property, we must be acquainted with the nature and situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-may-conclude-therefore-that-in-order-to-establish-laws-for-the/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [The observation of human blindness and weakness is the result of all philosophy, and meets us at every turn, in spite of our endeavours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-observation-of-human-blindness-and-weakness-is-the-result-of-all/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [The religious hypothesis, therefore, must be considered only as a particular method of accounting for the visible phenomena of the universe: but no just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-religious-hypothesis-therefore-must-be-considered-only-as-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [Manufacturers...gradually shift their places, leaving those countries and provinces which they have already enriched, and flying to others, whether they are allured by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/manufacturers-gradually-shift-their-places-leaving-those-countries/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [We may observe that, in displaying the praises of any humane, beneficent man, there is one circumstance which never fails to be amply insisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-may-observe-that-in-displaying-the-praises-of-any-humane/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“The most perfect happiness, surely, must arise from the contemplation of the most perfect object.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-most-perfect-happiness-surely-must-arise-from-the-contemplation/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“They all make up new species of crime and bring unhappiness in their train. When I hear a man is religious , I conclude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/they-all-make-up-new-species-of-crime-and-bring-unhappiness-in-their/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [There is not to be found, in all history, any miracle attested by a sufficient number of men, of such unquestioned good sense, education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/there-is-not-to-be-found-in-all-history-any-miracle-attested-by-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“But though there be naturally a wide difference in point of delicacy between one person and another, nothing tends further to encrease and improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/but-though-there-be-naturally-a-wide-difference-in-point-of-delicacy/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

[Explore all 487 David Hume quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

## More Application quotes

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/)

[Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/)

> [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [I've been in real estate for a long time and I always try to stay on the edge. I'm really excited about the partnership…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-hammer/i-ve-been-in-real-estate-for-a-long-time-and-i-always-try-to-stay-on/)

[MC Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-hammer/)

> [If we blow ourselves up we will do it by misapplication of science; if we manage to keep from blowing ourselves up, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/if-we-blow-ourselves-up-we-will-do-it-by-misapplication-of-science-if/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [“...why don't you take a picture of yourself next to a fucking job application? How about that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-wolf/why-don-t-you-take-a-picture-of-yourself-next-to-a-fucking-job/)

Josh Wolf

> [Everything for us is a system. We don't think about it discretely as just as a piece of hardware, or discretely as an application...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosain-rahman/everything-for-us-is-a-system-we-don-t-think-about-it-discretely-as/)

[Hosain Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosain-rahman/)

> [To each eye, perhaps, the outlines of a great civilization present a different picture. In the wide ocean upon which we venture, the possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-burckhardt/to-each-eye-perhaps-the-outlines-of-a-great-civilization-present-a/)

[Jacob Burckhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-burckhardt/)

> [Without application of the mind; there is no drive for taking affirmative action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mercado/without-application-of-the-mind-there-is-no-drive-for-taking/)

[Joseph Mercado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mercado/)

> [“Having no applicable skills, in any possible area whatsoever, effectively makes me the master of redundancy. But that info is obsolete, like my insults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/having-no-applicable-skills-in-any-possible-area-whatsoever/)

Will Advise

> [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [The effect of the discovery of printing was evident in the savage religious wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Application of power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-innis/the-effect-of-the-discovery-of-printing-was-evident-in-the-savage/)

[Harold Innis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-innis/)

> [As science is more and more subject to grave misuse as well as to use for human benefit it has also become the scientist's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-science-is-more-and-more-subject-to-grave-misuse-as-well-as-to-use/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you ask ... the man in the street ... the human significance of mathematics, the answer of the world will be, that mathematics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassius-jackson-keyser/if-you-ask-the-man-in-the-street-the-human-significance-of/)

[Cassius Jackson Keyser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassius-jackson-keyser/)

> [Technology, and applications of this technology, will continue to improve and evolve, providing unprecedented, global access to information, individuals, training, and opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-webb/technology-and-applications-of-this-technology-will-continue-to/)

[Maynard Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-webb/)

Browse all 918 Application quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The chief benefit, which results from philosophy, arises in an indirect manner, and proceeds more from its secret, insensible influence, than from its immediate application.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Hume"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-philosophy-arises-in-an-indirect/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Application"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-philosophy-arises-in-an-indirect/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/david-hume-538_application_the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-phi_2301922.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/david-hume-538_application_the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-phi_2301922.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/david-hume-538_application_the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-phi_2301922.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The chief benefit, which results from philosophy, arises in an indirect manner, and proceeds more from its…” — David Hume",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "David Hume",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The chief benefit, which results from...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-philosophy-arises-in-an-indirect/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-chief-benefit-which-results-from-philosophy-arises-in-an-indirect/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
