---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The stability of modern governments above…"
description: "\"The stability of modern governments above the ancient, and the accuracy of modern philosophy, have improved, and probably will still improve, by simila..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/david-hume-538_accuracy_the-stability-of-modern-governments-abov_421309.jpg"
---

#  The stability of modern governments above the ancient, and…

![“The stability of modern governments above the ancient, and the accuracy of modern philosophy, have improved, and probably will still improve, by similar gradations.” quote by David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/david-hume-538_accuracy_the-stability-of-modern-governments-abov_421309.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/david-hume-538_accuracy_the-stability-of-modern-governments-abov_421309.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/david-hume-538_accuracy_the-stability-of-modern-governments-abov_421309.jpg)

> “The stability of modern governments above the ancient, and the accuracy of modern philosophy, have improved, and probably will still improve, by similar gradations.”

[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.

Modern institutions and ideas become more reliable over time through gradual refinement.

**In simple terms:** Governments and philosophy get better gradually.

Key Takeaway

Expect continual improvement.

Themes

progress government philosophy history

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

explanatory reflective

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- philosophical study
- education reform
- long‑term planning

Key Concepts

gradualism empiricism institutional development

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we measure progress in governance?
- What limits philosophical advancement?

A Different Perspective

Improvements can be uneven and face setbacks.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accuracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuracy/) [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Modern philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-philosophy/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Stability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stability/)

## Related quotes

> [The main mark of modern governments is that we do not know who governs, de facto any more than de jure. We see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-main-mark-of-modern-governments-is-that-we-do-not-know-who/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [“Modern governments have the pernicious problem of trying to reward too many corporate donors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/modern-governments-have-the-pernicious-problem-of-trying-to-reward/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [“Modern governments actually spend relatively little on programs and systems that benefit all citizens, such as national defense or the judicial system; mainly they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/modern-governments-actually-spend-relatively-little-on-programs-and/)

[Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/)

> [“The Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) are part of the scientific military-industrial complex of modern governments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-mauna-kea-observatories-mko-are-part-of-the-scientific-military/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [The truth is that modern governments sit at the head of a well-funded security apparatus. They are told that foreign military adventures put domestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/the-truth-is-that-modern-governments-sit-at-the-head-of-a-well-funded/)

[Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/)

> [“in modern philosophy, the first glimpse of the true view of the conception of ‘might is right’ as applying to government is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-oakeshott/in-modern-philosophy-the-first-glimpse-of-the-true-view-of-the/)

[Michael Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-oakeshott/)

> [How significant is Aristotle? Well, I wouldn’t want to exaggerate, so let me put it this way: Abandoning Aristotelianism, as the founders of modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-feser/how-significant-is-aristotle-well-i-wouldn-t-want-to-exaggerate-so/)

[Edward Feser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-feser/)

> [One could say that what differentiates ancient from modern philosophy is the fact that, in ancient philosophy, it was not only Chrysippus or Epicurus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-hadot/one-could-say-that-what-differentiates-ancient-from-modern-philosophy/)

[Pierre Hadot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-hadot/)

> [Descartes is rightly regarded as the father of modern philosophy primarily and generally because he helped the faculty of reason to stand on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/descartes-is-rightly-regarded-as-the-father-of-modern-philosophy/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [“Ancient ethics always dealt with three questions. Modern ethics usually deals with only one, or at the most two. The three questions are like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/ancient-ethics-always-dealt-with-three-questions-modern-ethics/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“Eliot's own reflections on the primitive mind as a model for nondualistic thinking and on the nature and consequences of different modes of consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel-spears-brooker/eliot-s-own-reflections-on-the-primitive-mind-as-a-model-for/)

[Jewel Spears Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel-spears-brooker/)

> [“Such is the strange situation in which modern philosophy finds itself. No former age was ever in such a favourable position with regard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-cassirer/such-is-the-strange-situation-in-which-modern-philosophy-finds-itself/)

[Ernst Cassirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-cassirer/)

> [It is actually a nice question how far Descartes himself endorses the monological and metaphysically dualistic theory of mind associated with his name and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/it-is-actually-a-nice-question-how-far-descartes-himself-endorses-the/)

[Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/)

> [As modern physics started with the Newtonian revolution, so modern philosophy starts with what one might call the Cartesian Catastrophe. The catastrophe consisted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/as-modern-physics-started-with-the-newtonian-revolution-so-modern/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [Ancient philosophy proposed to mankind an art of living. By contrast, modern philosophy appears above all as the construction of a technical jargon reserved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-hadot/ancient-philosophy-proposed-to-mankind-an-art-of-living-by-contrast/)

[Pierre Hadot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-hadot/)

## 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 Accuracy quotes

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

> [Tachyon OPC+ is a natural extension of our market-winning Tachyon platform, giving customers a clear path to minimizing the OPC error budget and producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/tachyon-opc-is-a-natural-extension-of-our-market-winning-tachyon/)

[Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/)

> [Scientific accuracy confirms the Bible is the Word of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/scientific-accuracy-confirms-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god/)

[Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/)

> [In software speed to market, speed to learning is really key. In hardware if you screw it up you are dead. So accuracy really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/in-software-speed-to-market-speed-to-learning-is-really-key-in/)

[Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/)

> [Lawyers tend to be bright people. They tend to be-much more than many journalists I've encountered-sticklers for detail and accuracy, and they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/lawyers-tend-to-be-bright-people-they-tend-to-be-much-more-than-many/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [There's a simplicity in typography that demands absolute accuracy... the only way you can experience it is by doing it, and you can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-maag/there-s-a-simplicity-in-typography-that-demands-absolute-accuracy-the/)

Bruno Maag

> [“The only thing that words can do with any real precision or accuracy is hang together. Accuracy of description in language is not possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/the-only-thing-that-words-can-do-with-any-real-precision-or-accuracy/)

[Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/)

> [Am I accurately reporting what I see in such a blossom? The answer is no ... and yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/am-i-accurately-reporting-what-i-see-in-such-a-blossom-the-answer-is/)

[Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/)

> [Only by being suspended aloft, by dangling my mind in the heavens and mingling my rare thought with the ethereal air, could I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/only-by-being-suspended-aloft-by-dangling-my-mind-in-the-heavens-and/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [Without much accuracy, with strangely little love at all, your family will decide for you exactly who you are, and they'll keep nudging, coaxing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-gurganus/without-much-accuracy-with-strangely-little-love-at-all-your-family/)

[Allan Gurganus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-gurganus/)

> [The federal government is starting to plan for climate change by making extended forecasts that can help people plan for extreme weather - because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/the-federal-government-is-starting-to-plan-for-climate-change-by/)

[Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/)

> [Nobody sees reality whole; we all need others to show us the parts of it that they see better than we do. Nobody sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nobody-sees-reality-whole-we-all-need-others-to-show-us-the-parts-of/)

[Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/)

> [The state of empathy, or being empathic, is to perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/the-state-of-empathy-or-being-empathic-is-to-perceive-the-internal/)

[Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/)

> [What we have learned is that Roland-Jones is a very promising prospect. Because of the way he bowls, he will not blow batsmen away,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-agnew/what-we-have-learned-is-that-roland-jones-is-a-very-promising/)

[Jonathan Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-agnew/)

[Browse all 388 Accuracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuracy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The stability of modern governments above the ancient, and the accuracy of modern philosophy, have improved, and probably will still improve, by similar gradations.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Hume"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-stability-of-modern-governments-above-the-ancient-and-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accuracy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-stability-of-modern-governments-above-the-ancient-and-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/david-hume-538_accuracy_the-stability-of-modern-governments-abov_421309.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/david-hume-538_accuracy_the-stability-of-modern-governments-abov_421309.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/david-hume-538_accuracy_the-stability-of-modern-governments-abov_421309.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The stability of modern governments above the ancient, and the accuracy of modern philosophy, have improved…” — 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 stability of modern governments above...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-stability-of-modern-governments-above-the-ancient-and-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-stability-of-modern-governments-above-the-ancient-and-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
