Happiness is neither within us only, or without us; it is the union of ourselves with God.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Happiness
Kind words produce their own image in men’s souls; and a beautiful image it is. They soothe and quiet and comfort the hearer. They shame him out of his sour, morose, unkind feelings. We have not yet begun to use kind words in such abundance as they ought to be used.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Kindness
The incredulous are of all men the most credulous; they believe the miracles of Vespasian, in order not to believe those of Moses.
—Blaise Pascal
Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Religion
Man’s greatness lies in his power of thought.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Thought, Greatness, Thinking, Thoughts, Reason
All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly for awhile each day in our rooms.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Meditation, Prayer
Those we call the ancients were really new in everything.
—Blaise Pascal
There are some who speak well and write badly. For the place and the audience warm them, and draw from their minds more than they think of without that warmth.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Audiences
The last thing we decide in writing a book is what to put first.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Writers, Authors & Writing
Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Kindness, Words
There is nothing so insupportable to man as to be in entire repose, without passion, occupation, amusement, or application. Then it is that he feels his own nothingness, isolation, insignificance, dependent nature, powerlessness, emptiness. Immediately there issue from his soul ennui, sadness, chagrin, vexation, despair.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Rest
I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Authors & Writing, Brevity
There are three means of believing, by inspiration, by reason, and by custom.—Christianity, which is the only rational system, admits none for its sons who do not believe according to inspiration.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Belief
Vanity is so anchored in the heart of man that a soldier, sutler, cook, street porter, vapor and wish to have their admirers; and philosophers even wish the same. Those who write against it wish to have the glory of having written well; and those who read it wish to have the glory of having read well; and I, who write this, have perhaps this desire; and perhaps those who will read this.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Vanity
Brave deeds are most estimable when hidden.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Deeds, Good Deeds, Goodness, Posterity
The strength of a man’s virtue should not be measured by his special exertions, but by his habitual acts.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Time Management, Virtue, Value of Time, Integrity, Truth
The multitude which is not brought to act as unity, is confusion. That unity which has not its origin in the multitude is tyranny.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Man, Unity
Don’t try to add more years to your life. Better add more life to your years.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Immortality
Let any man examine his thoughts, and he will find them ever occupied with the past or the future. We scarcely think at all of the present; or if we do, it is only to borrow the light which it gives for regulating the future. The present is never our object; the past and the present we use as means; the future only is our end. Thus, we never live, we only hope to live.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Present
There are people who lie simply for the sake of lying.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Lying
We conceal it from ourselves in vain – we must always love something. In those matters seemingly removed from love, the feeling is secretly to be found, and man cannot possibly live for a moment without it.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Feelings
When we are in love we seem to ourselves quite different from what we were before.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Feelings, Love
If we examine our thoughts, we shall find them always occupied with the past and the future.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Thoughts, Thinking, Thought
Jesus Christ is a God to whom we can approach without pride, and before whom we may abase ourselves without despair.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Christianity, Religion
The multitude which does not reduce itself to unity is confusion; the unity which does not depend upon the multitude, is tyranny.
—Blaise Pascal
In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Light, Faith
However vast a man’s spiritual resources, he is capable of but one great passion.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Passion
Those who make antitheses by forcing the sense are like men who make false windows for the sake of symmetry. Their rule is not to speak justly, but to make accurate figures.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Style
The war existing between the senses and reason.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Conflict
We are so presumptuous that we wish to be known to all the world, even to those who come after us; and we are so vain that the esteem of five or six persons immediately around us is enough to amuse and satisfy us.
—Blaise Pascal
Topics: Vanity
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