Quotes from Blaise Pascal

The eternal silence of these infinite spaces fills me with dread.

Ultimul lucru pe care-l afl?m când alc?tuim o lucrare este cu ce ar fi trebuit s? începem.

Eloquence.— We need both what is pleasing and what is real, but that which pleases must itself be drawn from the true.

A given man lives a life free from boredom by gambling a small sum every day. Give him every morning the money he might win that day, but on condition that he does not gamble, and you will make him unhappy.

There is some pleasure in being on board a ship battered by storms when one is certain of not perishing.

In every 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 these things.

However sad a man may be, if you can persuade him to take up some diversion he will be happy while it lasts, and however happy a man may be, if he lacks diversion and has no absorbing passion or entertainment to keep boredom away, he will soon be depressed and unhappy. Without diversion there is no joy; with diversion there is no sadness. That is what constitutes the happiness of persons of rank, for they have a number of people to divert them and the ability to keep themselves in this state.

The prophets clearly said that Israel would always be beloved of God and that the law would be everlasting, and they also said that none would understand their meaning, but that it was veiled. How highly then should we esteem those who break the cipher for us and teach us to understand the hidden meaning

Order. Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is. Worthy of reverence because it really understands human nature. Attractive because it promises true good.

O coração tem razões que a Razão desconhece.

The last function of reason is to recognize that there is an infinity of things which are beyond it. It is but feeble if it does not see so far as to know this.

One must know oneself. If this does not serve to discover truth, it at least serves as a rule of life, and there is nothing better.

Alerg?m f?r? încetare spre pr?pastie dup? ce am aÅŸezat ceva în faÅ£a noastr? pentru a ne împiedica s? o vedem.

A true friend is so great an advantage, even for the greatest lords, in order that he may speak well of them, and back them in their absence, that they should do all to have one.

Pride counterbalances all these miseries; man either hides or displays them, and glories in his awareness of them.

The charm of fame is so great, that we like every object to which it is attached, even death.

Man is neither angel nor brute, and the unfortunate thing is that he who would act the angel acts the brute.

It is natural for the mind to believe, and for the will to love; [47] so that, for want of true objects, they must attach themselves to false.

Eloquence is an art of saying things in such a way (1) that those to whom we speak may listen to them without pain and with pleasure; (2) that they feel themselves interested, so that self-love leads them more willingly to reflection upon it.

I set it down as a fact that if all men knew what each said of the other, there would not be four friends in the world.

As men who naturally understand their own condition avoid nothing so much as rest, so there is nothing they leave undone in seeking turmoil.

We are nothing but lies, duplicity, contradiction, and we hide and disguise ourselves from ourselves.

Man is obviously made for thinking. Therein lies all his dignity and his merit; and his whole duty is to think as he ought.

I maintain that, if everyone knew what others said about him, there would not be four friends in the world; this is evident from the quarrels caused by occasional indiscreet disclosures.