Where Ideas Flourish and Minds Thrive.
There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.
The pagans do not know God, and love only the earth. The Jews know the true God, and love only the earth. The Christians know the true God, and do not love the earth.
The Christian's God does not consist merely of a God who is the author of mathematical truths and the order of elements... But a God of love and consolation.
Let us now speak according to natural lights. If there is a God, He is infinitely incomprehensible.... We are then incapable of knowing of either what He is or if He is....
Not the zeal alone of those who seek Him proves God, but the blindness of those who seek Him not.
Not only do we know God by Jesus Christ alone, but we know ourselves only by Jesus Christ. We know life and death only through Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ, we do not know what is our life, nor our death, nor God, nor ourselves.
If it is an extraordinary blindness to live without investigating what we are, it is a terrible one to live an evil life, while believing in God
God only pours out his light into the mind after having subdued the rebellion of the will by an altogether heavenly gentleness which charms and wins it.
True eloquence makes light of eloquence, true morality makes light of morality.
People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others.
The greater intellect one has, the more originality one finds in men. Ordinary persons find no difference between men.
A Nothing in comparison with the Infinite, an All in comparison with the Nothing, a mean between nothing and everything.
Our reason is always deceived by fickle shadows; nothing can fix the finite between the two Infinites, which both enclose and fly from it.
The imagination disposes of everything; it makes beauty, justice, and happiness, which is everything in the world.
We do not content ourselves with the life we have in ourselves and in our own being; we desire to live an imaginary life in the mind of others.
It is a monstrous thing to see in the same heart and at the same time this sensibility to trifles and this strange insensibility to the greatest objects.
The only thing which consoles us for our miseries is diversion, and yet this is the greatest of our miseries.
Faith is different from proof; the one is human, the other is a gift of God.
Custom is the source of our strongest and most believed proofs.
The external must be joined to the internal to obtain anything from God.
Distinction Between Mathematical and Intuitive Minds
Pascal distinguishes between mathematical and intuitive minds, emphasizing their unique strengths and limitations. Mathematical minds excel in clear, definable principles but struggle with everyday applications, while intuitive minds grasp subtle, everyday principles but find formal articulation challenging. This distinction highlights the specialized nature of human reasoning. Pascal states, 'The principles [of mathematical minds] are palpable, but removed from ordinary use.' This idea underscores the need for diverse intellectual skills to achieve holistic comprehension.
The Dual Infinity: Human Insignificance and Immensity
Pascal explores the humbling realization of human existence suspended between the vastness of the universe and the minuteness of the smallest elements. He emphasizes our limited comprehension and the eternal quest for knowledge. 'For who will not be astounded at the fact that our body, which a little while ago was imperceptible in the universe...is now a colossus, a world, or rather a whole, in respect of the nothingness which we cannot reach?' This idea drives us to recognize our modest place in the cosmos.
The Pursuit of Diversion
Pascal argues that humans instinctively seek distractions to avoid confronting deeper existential realities. He states, 'Thus they are given cares and business which make them bustle about from break of day.' This constant quest for diversion underscores the emptiness of human pursuits and the unwillingness to face one’s true self. By immersing themselves in continuous activities, people attempt to fend off existential contemplation and the inevitable misery linked to awareness of their mortality and insignificance.
The Complementarity of Miracles and Doctrine
Pascal discusses the complex interplay between miracles and doctrine, asserting that miracles alone should not validate a doctrine. 'Miracles are for doctrine, and not doctrine for miracles.' This implies that while miracles can support the credibility of a doctrine, the intrinsic truth of the doctrine must be evaluated independently. The authenticity of miracles is validated by the soundness of the doctrine they support, ensuring a balanced approach to faith.
The Role of Custom and Bias in Shaping Belief
Pascal argues that our choices, especially the choice of occupation, are largely determined by custom and chance rather than rational deliberation. 'We choose our callings according as we hear this or that praised or despised in our childhood.' He cautions that once people become accustomed to flawed reasoning, they resist even sound logic when it is presented. This idea suggests that to truly understand one’s beliefs, one must scrutinize the customs that underpin them.
The Necessity of Humility and Mortification in True Religion
Pascal emphasizes that true religion requires recognizing human weaknesses and actively combating them through humility and mortification. 'The true religion teaches our duties; our weaknesses, pride, and lust; and the remedies, humility and mortification.' This idea underscores the need for self-awareness and a proactive approach to dealing with one's own deficiencies, which, according to Pascal, no other religion addresses as comprehensively.
The Paradox of Human Greatness and Misery
Pascal poignantly argues that humanity's dual nature is a central paradox: being simultaneously miserable and great. 'The greatest baseness of man is the pursuit of glory. But it is the greatest mark of his excellence.' This paradox emphasizes that our ability to recognize our own wretchedness signifies profound self-awareness and greatness. Man's greatness stems from understanding his own misery, highlighting a complex interplay between human virtue and vice.
Adapt Your Communication Style
Reflect on whether your audience needs clear, systematic explanations or if they can grasp intuitive insights. Tailor your approach based on their primary thinking style to improve clarity and engagement.
Embrace Humility in Knowledge
Recognize the limitations of human understanding and approach learning with humility. Accept that some mysteries might remain beyond our grasp, and value the process of questioning over the certainty of answers.
Limit Distractions Deliberately
To cultivate self-awareness and deeper understanding, allocate regular periods of solitude without distractions. Reflect consciously on your existence, your purpose, and your values.
Evaluate Both Miracles and Doctrine Separately
Don't accept a teaching solely based on miraculous claims. Apply critical thinking to examine the doctrine itself to ensure it aligns with sound reason and established truth.
Acknowledge Your Flaws
Develop the habit of self-reflection and be open to accepting your flaws. Instead of shunning truths that reveal your imperfections, see them as opportunities for personal growth.
Instead of complaining that God had hidden himself, you will give Him thanks for having revealed so much of Himself.
Nature has some perfections to show that she is the image of God, and some defects, to show that she is only His image.Instead of complaining that God had hidden himself, you will give Him thanks for having revealed so much of Himself.
Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.
Curiosity is only vanity. We usually only want to know something so that we can talk about it.
The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of... We know the truth not only by the reason, but by the heart.
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.
Let each of us examine his thoughts; he will find them wholly concerned with the past or the future. We almost never think of the present, and if we do think of it, it is only to see what light is throws on our plans for the future. The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means, the future alone our end. Thus we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so.
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.
