Blaise Pascal Quotes
-
The last thing we decide in writing a book is what to put first.
-
The world is satisfied with words. Few appreciate the things beneath. [Fr., Le monde se paye de paroles; peu approfondissement les choses.]
-
Nothing is more dastardly than to act with bravado toward God.
-
The origins of disputes between philosophers is, that one class of them have undertaken to raise man by displaying his greatness, and the other to debase him by showing his miseries.
-
When intuition and logic agree, you are always right.
-
There is no arena in which vanity displays itself under such a variety of forms as in conversation.
-
Quand on voit le style naturel, on est tout e tonne et ravi, car on s'attendait de voir un auteur, et on trouve un homme. When we see a natural style we are quite amazed and delighted, because we expected to see an author and find a man.
-
Our own interests are still an exquisite means for dazzling our eyes agreeably.
-
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.
-
Death is easier to bear without thinking of it, than the thought of death without peril.
-
The God of the infinite is the God of the infinitesimal.
-
There are vices which have no hold upon us, but in connection with others; and which, when you cut down the trunk, fall like the branches.
-
Most of man's trouble comes from his inability to be still.
-
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.
-
The finite is annihilated in the presence of the infinite, and becomes a pure nothing. So our spirit before God, so our justice before divine justice.
-
Is it courage in a dying man to go, in weakness and in agony, to affront an almighty and eternal God?
-
To go beyond the bounds of moderation is to outrage humanity.
-
How vain is painting, which is admired for reproducing the likeness of things whose originals are not admired.
-
I would have far more fear of being mistaken, and of finding that the Christian religion was true, than of not being mistaken in believing it true.
-
When we wish to correct with advantage, and to show another that he errs, we must notice from what side he views the matter, for on that side it is usually true.
-
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.]
-
Montaigne is wrong in declaring that custom ought to be followed simply because it is custom, and not because it is reasonable or just.
-
The more I see of Mankind, the more I prefer my dog.
-
Must we kill to prevent there being any wicked? This is to make both parties wicked instead of one.