Explore Quotes by Blaise Pascal

I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man's being unable to sit still in a room.

A trifle consoles us, for a trifle distresses us.

Custom is our nature. What are our natural principles but principles of custom?

Between us and heaven or hell there is only life, which is the frailest thing in the world.

Nothing fortifies scepticism more than the fact that there are some who are not sceptics; if all were so, they would be wrong.

It is not good to be too free. It is not good to have everything one wants.

Faith certainly tells us what the senses do not, but not the contrary of what they see; it is above, not against them.

Happiness is neither without us nor within us. It is in God, both without us and within us.

The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be wretched. A tree does not know itself to be wretched.

If our condition were truly happy, we would not seek diversion from it in order to make ourselves happy.

Justice and truth are too such subtle points that our tools are too blunt to touch them accurately.

Nothing is as approved as mediocrity, the majority has established it and it fixes its fangs on whatever gets beyond it either way.

The self is hateful.

Imagination disposes of everything; it creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world.

People are usually more convinced by reasons they discovered themselves than by those found by others.

If all men knew what others say of them, there would not be four friends in the world.

It is the fight alone that pleases us, not the victory.

Few men speak humbly of humility, chastely of chastity, skeptically of skepticism.

Let it not be imagined that the life of a good Christian must be a life of melancholy and gloominess; for he only resigns some pleasures to enjoy others infinitely better.

So we can only know God well by knowing our iniquities. Therefore those who have known God, without knowing their wretchedness, have not glorified Him, but have glorified themselves.

Our nature lies in movement; complete calm is death.