The highest endeavor of the mind... | The highest endeavor of the mind and the highest virtue is to understand things by intuition

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by Baruch (Benedictus) de Spinoza (1632 - 1677)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Summus mentis conatus...

Language: Latin

Our translations: ENG

Summus mentis conatus summaque virtus est res intelligere tertio cognitionis genere.

Text Authorship:

by Baruch (Benedictus) de Spinoza (1632 - 1677), appears in Ethica, ordine geometrico demonstrata [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Michael Zev Gordon (b. 1963), "Summus mentis conatus... ", 2020, first performed 2020 [ tenor and piano ], from Baruch - Ten Propositions of Baruch Spinoza, no. 9, confirmed with a concert programme booklet [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The highest endeavor of the mind...", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2020-10-13
Line count: 1
Word count: 11

The highest endeavor of the mind...

Language: English after the Latin

The highest endeavor of the mind and the highest virtue is to understand things by intuition.

Note: the words "by intuition" here translate the Latin phrase tertio cognitionis genere, which is literally "by the third kind of knowledge." Spinoza distinguished three kinds of knowledge, the other two being imagination and reason.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Latin to English copyright © 2025 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Latin by Baruch (Benedictus) de Spinoza (1632 - 1677), appears in Ethica, ordine geometrico demonstrata
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-08-04
Line count: 1
Word count: 16