Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes
René Descarteswas a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Dubbed the father of modern western philosophy, much of subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day. He spent about 20 years of his life in the Dutch Republic...
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth31 March 1596
CityIndre-et-Loire, France
achieving difficult easy enter gave human imagine matters mind occasion reasoning simple
The long concatenations of simple and easy reasoning which geometricians use in achieving their most difficult demonstrations gave me occasion to imagine that all matters which may enter the human mind were interrelated in the same fashion.
situations-in-life worthwhile-things judging
Situations in life often permit no delay; and when we cannot determine the course which is certainly best, we must follow the one which is probably the best. This frame of mind freed me also from the repentance and remorse commonly felt by those vacillating individuals who are always seeking as worthwhile things which they later judge to be bad.
encouragement philosophical simplicity
Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.
lasts opinion reservations
At last I will devote myself sincerely and without reservation to the general demolition of my opinions.
judgement may judgment
If ... it is not in my power to arrive at the knowledge of any truth, I may at least do what is in my power, namely, suspend judgement ...
illumination light soul
Intuitive knowledge is an illumination of the soul, whereby it beholds in the light of God those things which it pleases Him to reveal to us by a direct impression of divine clearness.
perseverance mistake women
You just keep pushing. You just keep pushing. I made every mistake that could be made. But I just kept pushing.
errors mind weak
I am indeed amazed when I consider how weak my mind is and how prone to error.
learning caring order
In order to improve the mind, we ought less to learn, than to contemplate.
travel journey talking
Travelling is almost like talking with those of other centuries.
encouragement hard-work intellectual
For each of us there is a set limit to our intellectual powers which we cannot pass.
errors owing matter
What then is the source of my errors? They are owing simply to the fact that, since the will extends further than the intellect, I do not contain the will within the same boundaries; rather, I also extend it to things I do not understand. Because the will is indifferent in regard to such matters, it easily turns away from the true and the good; and in this way I am deceived and I sin.
perseverance water veins
It must not be thought that it is ever possible to reach the interior earth by any perseverance in mining: both because the exterior earth is too thick, in comparison with human strength; and especially because of the intermediate waters, which would gush forth with greater impetus, the deeper the place in which their veins were first opened; and which would drown all miners.
deceived-us prudent deceiving
Whatever I have up till now accepted as most true and assured I have gotten either from the senses or through the senses. But from time to time I have found that the senses deceive, and it is prudent never to trust completely those who have deceived us even once.