Blaise Pascal Quotes
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All the excesses, all the violence, and all the vanity of great men, come from the fact that they know not what they are: it being difficult for those who regard themselves at heart as equal with all men... For this it is necessary for one to forget himself, and to believe that he has some real excellence above them, in which consists this illusion that I am endeavoring to discover to you.
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In each action we must look beyond the action at our past, present, and future state, and at others whom it affects, and see the relations of all those things. And then we shall be very cautious.
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The more intelligent a man is, the more originality he discovers in others.
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Curiosity is only vanity. We usually only want to know something so that we can talk about it.
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He who cannot believe is cursed, for he reveals by his unbelief that God has not chosen to give him grace.
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Description of man: dependence, longing for independence, need.
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The greater intellect one has, the more originality one finds in men. Ordinary persons find no difference between men.
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Each one is all in all to himself; for being dead, all is dead to him.
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Force rules the world-not opinion; but it is opinion that makes use of force.
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We do not rest satisfied with the present.... So imprudent we are that we wander in the times which are not ours and do not thinkof the only one which belongs to us; and so idle are we that we dream of those times which are no more and thoughtlessly overlook that which alone exists. For the present is generally painful to us.
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It is not our task to secure the triumph of truth, but merely to fight on its behalf.
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Eloquence; it requires the pleasant and the real; but the pleasant must itself be drawn from the true.
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We must know where to doubt, where to feel certain, where to submit. He who does not do so, understands not the force of reason.
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Two things control men's nature, instinct and experience.
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All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.
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It is a dangerous experiment to call in gratitude as an ally to love. Love is a debt which inclination always pays, obligation never.
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Ugly deeds are most estimable when hidden.
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Chance gives rise to thoughts, and chance removes them; no art can keep or acquire them.
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No religion except ours has taught that man is born in sin; none of the philosophical sects has admitted it; none therefore has spoken the truth.
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If a man is not made for God, why is he happy only in God?
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The supreme function of reason is to show man that some things are beyond reason.
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Things are always at their best in their beginning.
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Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because he shows us both God and our own wretchedness.
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Too much and too little wine. Give him none, he cannot find truth; give him too much, the same.