[82] Wisdom leads us back to childhood. Except ye become as little children.1 - Blaise Pascal

Vanity is so firmly anchored in man's heart that a soldier, a camp follower, a cook or a porter will boast and expect admirers, and even philosophers want them; those who write against them want to enjoy the prestige of having written well, those who read them want the prestige of having read them, and perhaps I who write this want the same thing.

If we submit everything to reason our religion will be left with nothing mysterious or supernatural. If we offend the principles of reason our religion will be absurd and ridiculous . . . There are two equally dangerous extremes: to exclude reason, to admit nothing but reason.

La vérité est si obscurcie en ces temps et le mensonge si établi, qu'à moins d'aimer la vérité, on ne saurait la reconnaître.