Context

This quote is taken from part one of the political philosophy book Leviathan, published by Thomas Hobbes in 1651.

Leave it to good ol' Mr. Hobbes to bring a little sunshine into all our lives. And in case we didn't already get the message, he opens his book by telling us that he thinks human beings are all savage at heart and that they need strong laws and rulers to keep them all from eating each other. This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of his book, which basically justifies all the ways that rulers can use force to bring people in line.

Where you've heard it

We've all met one or two cynics in our lives. You know, those folks who like to sneer at any ideas we might have of human beings being good at heart and respectful of their communities. Well these cynics might not quote Hobbes directly, but chances are they'll say something along the same lines as this famous quote, like without a strong set of laws and authorities to rule over them, people would fall into total chaos and live brutal, short lives.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

If you're wondering why this quote is so pretentious, you don't need to look much further than the language Hobbes uses in it. But if you DO want to look further, you'll see that the quote is actually saying that human beings are miserable brutes when they don't have someone smart and strong to rule over them. And people listening to you probably won't assume you're including yourself among the brutes.