Blaise Pascal Quotes

Nature is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.

There are hardly any truths upon which we always remain agreed, and still fewer objects of pleasure which we do not change every hour, I do not know whether there is a means of giving fixed rules for adapting discourse to the inconstancy of our caprices.

Who bears witness to Muhammad? Himself. Jesus Christ wants his witness to be nothing. The quality of witnesses means they must always and everywhere be wretched. He is alone.

The mind must not be forced; artificial and constrained manners fill it with foolish presumption, through unnatural elevation and vain and ridiculous inflation, instead of solid and vigorous nutriment.

Evil is never done so thoroughly or so well as when it is done with a good conscience.

There is enough light for those who only desire to see, and enough obscurity for those who have a contrary disposition

What then is man to do in this state of affairs? Is he to doubt everything, to doubt if he is awake, whether he is being pinched or burned? Is he to doubt whether he is doubting, to doubt whether he exists? No one can go that far, and I maintain that a perfectly genuine sceptic has never existed.

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.

The tone of voice influences the wisest of us and alters the force of a speech or a poem.

...I have often said that the sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room.

There are some men who expose themselves to damnation so foolishly by avarice, by brutality, by debauches, by violence, by excesses, by blasphemies! ...it is always a great folly for a man to expose himself to damnation... He must despise desire and its kingdom, and aspire to that kingdom of love in which all the subjects breathe nothing but love, and desire nothing but the benefits of love.

Everything which does not lead to charity is figurative. The sole object of Scripture is charity. Everything that does not lead to this sole good is figurative. For, since there is only one goal, everything that does not lead to it explicitly is figurative.

God is surrounded with people full of love who demand of him the benefits of love which are in his power: thus he is properly the king of love.

Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it might 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.

What must I do? I see nothing but obscurities on every side.'
'Shall I believe I am nothing? Shall I believe I am God?