Pensées Quotes

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.

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The greater intellect one has, the more originality one finds in men. Ordinary persons find no difference between men.

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The charm of fame is so great, that we like every object to which it is attached, even death.

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The last thing one discovers in composing a work is what to put first.

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Men seek rest in a struggle against difficulties; and when they have conquered these, rest becomes insufferable.

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Knowing God without knowing our wretchedness leads to pride. Knowing our wretchedness without knowing God leads to despair. Knowing Jesus Christ is the middle course, because in him we find both God and our wretchedness.

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There is a certain standard of grace and beauty which consists in a certain relation between our nature... and the thing which pleases us.

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The knowledge of God without that of man's misery causes pride. The knowledge of man's misery without that of God causes despair. The knowledge of Jesus Christ is the middle course, because in Him we find both God and our misery.

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Finally, let them recognise that there are two kinds of people one can call reasonable; those who serve God with all their heart because they know Him, and those who seek Him with all their heart because they do not know Him.

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Curiosity is only vanity. We usually only want to know something so that we can talk about it.

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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, t...

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The heart has its order, the mind has its own, which uses principles and demonstrations. The heart has a different one. We do not prove that we ought to be loved by setting out in order the causes of love; that would be absurd.

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Those honor nature well, who teach that she can speak on everything.

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Lust is the source of all our actions, and humanity.

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All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.

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Dull minds are never either intuitive or mathematical.

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Nature has made all her truths independent of one another. Our art makes one dependent on the other.

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And if one loves me for my judgement, memory, he does not love , for I can lose these qualities without losing myself. Where, then, is this Ego, if it be neither in the body nor in the soul? And how love the body or the soul, except for these qualiti...

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