Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascalwas a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Christian philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. Pascal's earliest work was in the natural and applied sciences where he made important contributions to the study of fluids, and clarified the concepts of pressure and vacuum by generalising the work of Evangelista Torricelli. Pascal also wrote in defence of the scientific method...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth19 June 1623
CityClermont-Ferrand, France
CountryFrance
Man is obviously made for thinking. Therein lies all his dignity and his merit; and his whole duty is to think as he ought.
It is impossible on reasonable grounds to disbelieve miracles.
Law, without force, is impotent.
The world is ruled by force, not by opinion; but opinion uses force.
The serene, silent beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world, next to the night of God.
Justice is what is established; and thus all our established laws will necessarily be regarded as just without examination, since they are established.
When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian.
When some passion or effect is described in a natural style, we find within ourselves the truth of what we hear, without knowing it was there.
What a difficult thing it is to ask someone's advice on a matter without coloring his judgment by the way in which we present our problem.
Custom is our nature. What are our natural principles but principles of custom?
The majority is the best way, because it is visible, and has strength to make itself obeyed. Yet it is the opinion of the least able.
Concupiscence and force are the source of all our actions; concupiscence causes voluntary actions, force involuntary ones.
How shall one who is so weak in his childhood become really strong when he grows older? We only change our fancies.
When we wish to correct with advantage, and to show another that he errs, we must notice from what side he views the matter, for on that side it is usually true.