959 Quotes by Blaise Pascal

You corrupt religion either in favour of your friends, or against your enemies.

To make a man a saint, it must indeed be by grace; and whoever doubts this does not know what a saint is, or a man.

To find recreation in amusement is not happiness.

We have an idea of truth, invincible to all scepticism.

The principles of pleasure are not firm and stable. They are different in all mankind, and variable in every particular with such a diversity that there is no man more different from another than from himself at different times.

Between us, and Hell or Heaven, there is only life between the two, which is the most fragile thing in the world. Variant: Between us and heaven or hell there is only life, which is the frailest thing in the world.

There would be too great darkness, if truth had not visible signs.

[Unbelievers] think they have made great efforts to get at the truth when they have spent a few hours in reading some book out of Holy Scripture, and have questioned some cleric about the truths of the faith. After that, they boast that they have searched in books and among men in vain.

The mind must not be forced; artificial and constrained manners fill it with foolish presumption, through unnatural elevation and vain and ridiculous inflation, instead of solid and vigorous nutriment.