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,...
I have only made this letter rather long because I have not had time to make it shorter.
Jesus Christ is a God whom we approach without pride and before whom we humble ourselves without despair.
Instinct teaches us to look for happiness outside ourselves.
There is nothing we can now call our own, for what we call so is the effect of art; crimes are made by decrees of the senate, or by the votes of the people; and as here-to-fore we are burdened by vice...
Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.
Our own interests are still an exquisite means for dazzling our eyes agreeably.
Even those who write against fame wish for the fame of having written well, and those who read their works desire the fame of having read them.
Vanity of science. Knowledge of physical science will not console me for ignorance of morality in time of affliction, but knowledge of morality will always console me for ignorance of physical science...
The immortality of the soul is a matter which is of so great consequence to us and which touches us so profoundly that we must have lost all feeling to be indifferent about it.
If we examine our thoughts, we shall find them always occupied with the past and the future.
We like security: we like the pope to be infallible in matters of faith, and grave doctors to be so in moral questions so that we can feel reassured.
Nothing is so intolerable to man as being fully at rest, without a passion, without business, without entertainment, without care.
In each action we must look beyond the action at our past present and future state and at others whom it affects and see the relation of all those things. And then we shall be very cautious.
To ridicule philosophy is really to philosophize.
The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be wretched. A tree does not know itself to be wretched.
All men have happiness as their object: there is no exception. However different the means they employ they aim at the same end.
Justice and truth are too such subtle points that our tools are too blunt to touch them accurately.
Custom is our nature. What are our natural principles but principles of custom?
Men blaspheme what they do not know.