Blaise Pascal Quotes
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Force and not opinion is the queen of the world; but it is opinion that uses the force. [Fr., La force est la reine du monde, et non pas l'opinion; mais l'opinion est celle qui use de la force.]
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It is the conduct of God, who disposes all things kindly, to put religion into the mind by reason, and into the heart by grace.
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The statements of atheists ought to be perfectly clear of doubt. Now it is not perfectly clear that the soul is material.
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You gave me health that I might serve you; and so often I failed to use my good health in your service. Now you send me sickness in order to correct me Grant that, having ignored the things of spirit when my body was vigorous, I may now enjoy spiritual sweetness while my body groans with pain.
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The two principles of truth, reason and senses, are not only both not genuine, but are engaged in mutual deception. The senses deceive reason through false appearances, and the senses are disturbed by passions, which produce false impressions.
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What amazes me most is to see that everyone is not amazed at his own weakness.
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Dull minds are never either intuitive or mathematical.
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Religion is so great a thing that it is right that those who will not take the trouble to seek it if it be obscure, should be deprived of it.
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If we dreamed the same thing every night, it would affect us much as the objects we see every day. And if a common workman were sure to dream every night for twelve hours that he was a king, I believe he would be almost as happy as a king who should dream every night for twelve hours on end that he was a common workman.
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When intuition and logic agree, you are always right.
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Extremes are for us as if they were not, and as if we were not in regard to them; they escape from us, or we from them.
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If man should commence by studying himself, he would see how impossible it is to go further.
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Montaigne is wrong in declaring that custom ought to be followed simply because it is custom, and not because it is reasonable or just.
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The last thing we decide in writing a book is what to put first.
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When we read too fast or too slowly, we understand nothing.
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The world is satisfied with words. Few appreciate the things beneath. [Fr., Le monde se paye de paroles; peu approfondissement les choses.]
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Most of man's trouble comes from his inability to be still.
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All evil stems from this-that we do. Know how to handle your solitude.
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We know that there is an infinite, and we know not its nature. As we know it to be false that numbers are finite, it is therefore true that there is a numerical infinity. But we know not of what kind; it is untrue that it is even, untrue that it is odd; for the addition of a unit does not change its nature; yet it is a number, and every number is odd or even (this certainly holds of every finite number). Thus we may quite well know that there is a God without knowing what He is.
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Eloquence is a painting of thought; and thus those who, after having painted it, add something more, make a picture instead of a portrait.
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Meanings receive their dignity from words instead of giving it to them.
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Must we kill to prevent there being any wicked? This is to make both parties wicked instead of one.
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If we examine our thoughts, we shall find them always occupied with the past or the future.
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La chose la plus importante a' toute la vie est le choix du me tier: le hasard en dispose. The most important thing in life is to choose a profession: chance arranges for that.