Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.
Blaise PascalRead
People are usually more convinced by reasons they discovered themselves than by those found by others.
Interpretation
Individuals tend to believe ideas they arrive at on their own more than those suggested to them by others.
This quote by Blaise Pascal highlights the importance of personal discovery in the process of persuasion and belief formation. When people come to their own conclusions or insights, they feel a greater sense of ownership and conviction towards those ideas, in contrast to accepting arguments or reasoning presented by others without personal engagement.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to encourage individuals to seek their own answers.
Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.
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.
Those are weaklings who know the truth and uphold it as long as it suits their purpose, and then abandon it.
Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair.
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.
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?
The first real terror struck him then, and there was nothing supernatural about it. It was only a realization of how easy it was to trash your life. That was what was so scary. You just dragged the fan up to everything you had spent the years raking together and turned the motherfucker on.
The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away.
Of all tools, an observatory is the most sublime. . . . What is so good in a college as an observatory? The sublime attaches to the door and to the first stair you ascent, that this is the road to the stars.
The bow cannot always stand bent, nor can human frailty subsist without some lawful recreation.
Roy Orbison was one of the genuinely nicest persons I've ever known. With one of the most beautiful voices in the history of recorded music he could easily have had an opera star's ego, but he was one of the humblest, kindest, sweetest human beings to grace this planet. This in spite of the enormous tragedies in his life. A brave, beautiful blessing of a man.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.