Quotes from Blaise Pascal

The knowledge of God without that of man's misery causes pride. The knowledge of man's misery without that of God causes despair. The knowledge of Jesus Christ is the middle course, because in Him we find both God and our misery.

For, not seeing the whole truth, they could not attain to perfect virtue. Some considering nature as incorrupt, others as incurable, they could not escape either pride or sloth, the two sources of all vice; since they cannot but either abandon themselves to it through cowardice, or escape it by pride.

Nous ne nous contentons pas de la vie que nous avons en nous et en notre propre être. Nous voulons vivre dans l'idée des autres d'une vie imaginaire, et nous nous efforçons pour cela de paraître

Two infinites. Mean. When we read too quickly or too slowly we do not understand anything.

Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, and walk therein.'

Man is neither angel nor beast, and it is unfortunately the case that anyone trying to act the angel acts the beast.

He no longer loves the person whom he loved ten years ago. I quite believe it. She is no longer the same, nor is he. He was young, and she also; she is quite different. He would perhaps love her yet, if she were what she was then.

Ciascuno esamini i propri pensieri: li troverà sempre occupati dal passato e dall'avvenire. Non pensiamo quasi mai al presente, o se ci pensiamo, è solo per prenderne lume al fine di predisporre l'avvenire. Il presente non è mai il nostro fine: il passato o il presente sono i nostri mezzi; solo l'avvenire è il nostro fine. Così non viviamo mai, ma speriamo di vivere, e, preparandoci sempre ad essere felici, è inevitabile che non siamo mai tali.

We must sit by these rivers, not under or in them, but above, not standing upright, but sitting down, so that we remain humble by sitting, and safe by remaining above.

Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.

You would not seek me if you did not possess me.

S'il se vante, je l'abaisse; s'il s'abaisse, je le vante; et le contredis toujours, jusqu'à qu'il comprenne qu'il est un monstre incompréhensible.

If our condition were truly happy we should not need to divert ourselves from thinking about it.

As we cannot be universal by knowing everything there is to be known about everything, we must know a little about everything, because it is much better to know something about everything than everything about something.

Miracle does not always signify miracle.

We desire truth and find in ourselves nothing but uncertainty. We seek happiness and find only wretchedness and death. We are incapable of not desiring truth and happiness and incapable of either certainty or happiness. We have been left with this desire as much as a punishment as to make us feel how far we have fallen.

92] Cause and effect. It is then true to say that everyone is the victim of illusion, because the ordinary person's opinions are sound without being intellectually so, for he believes truth to be where it is not. There is certainly some truth in these opinions, but not as much as people imagine. It is true that we should honour the gentry but not because gentle birth is a real advantage.

Nada nos puede consolar cuando lo pensamos detenidamente.

All men naturally hate each other. We have used concupiscence as best we can to make it serve the common good, but this is mere sham and a false image of charity, for essentially it is just hate.

All things can be deadly to us, even the things made to serve us; as in nature walls can kill us, and stairs can kill us, if we do not walk circumspectly.

Those who are accustomed to judge by feeling do not understand the process of reasoning, for they would understand at first sight, and are not used to seek for principles. And others, on the contrary, who are accustomed to reason from principles, do not at all understand matters of feeling, seeking principles, and being unable to see at a glance.

128] Two things teach man about his whole nature: instinct and experience.

Denying, believing and doubting are to men what running is to horses.

To be of noble birth is a great advantage. In eighteen years it places a man within the select circle, known and respected, as another have merited in fifty years. It is a gain of thirty years without trouble.