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Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.
Blaise Pascal
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Human love requires knowledge of the person, while divine love is based on faith.

This quote by Blaise Pascal emphasizes the difference in how humans and divine entities are approached in relationships. To love another human, we need to understand them, their thoughts, and their experiences; however, in the case of divine beings, love and connection come from faith and belief rather than personal understanding or evidence.

Themes

LoveHumansDivineFaithRelationship

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the nature of faith and relationships.

More from Blaise Pascal

Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.
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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.
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Those are weaklings who know the truth and uphold it as long as it suits their purpose, and then abandon it.
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Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair.
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If he exalts himself, I humble him. If he humbles himself, I exalt him. And I go on contradicting him Until he understands That he is a monster that passes all understanding.
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What use is it to us to hear it said of a man that he has thrown off the yoke that he does not believe there is a God to watch over his actions, that he reckons himself the sole master of his behavior, and that he does not intend to give an account of it to anyone but himself?
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