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
Rene Descartes quotes about
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.
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.
errors mind weak
I am indeed amazed when I consider how weak my mind is and how prone to error.
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.
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.
ontology limits logic
We call infinite that thing whose limits we have not perceived, and so by that word we do not signify what we understand about a thing, but rather what we do not understand.
knowing-who-you-are doubted who-you-are
All is to be doubted.
peaceful solitude mind
Now therefore, that my mind is free from all cares, and that I have obtained for myself assured leisure in peaceful solitude, I shall apply myself seriously and freely to the general destruction of all my former opinions.
books books-and-reading conversation finest good men past reading
The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of past centuries.