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Blaise Pascal Quotes about Greatness

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Man's greatness lies in his power of thought.

Man's greatness lies in his power of thought.

Lying, Power, Greatness

Blaise Pascal (1950). “Pensées”

A man does not show his greatness by being at one extremity, but rather by touching both at once.

Greatness, Men, Touching

To go beyond the bounds of moderation is to outrage humanity. The greatness of the human soul is shown by knowing how to keep within proper bounds. There are two equally dangerous extremes- to shut reason out, and not to let nothing in.

Greatness, Two, Knowing

Great and small suffer the same mishaps.

Greatness, Suffering, Mishaps

The greatness of man is so evident that it is even proved by his wretchedness. For what in animals is nature, we call in man wretchedness--by which we recognize that, his nature being now like that of animals, he has fallen from a better nature which once was his.

Animal, Greatness, Men

Blaise Pascal (2016). “Pensées”, p.150, Open Road Media

One has followed the other in an endless circle, for it is certain that as man's insight increases so he finds both wretchedness and greatness within himself. In a word man knows he is wretched. Thus he is wretched because he is so, but he is truly great because he knows it.

Greatness, Men, Circles

Blaise Pascal (1966). “Pascal Pensées”, Penguin Classics

I do not admire a virtue like valour when it is pushed to excess, if I do not see at the same time the excess of the opposite virtue, as one does in Epaminondas, who displayed extreme valour and extreme benevolence. For otherwise it is not an ascent, but a fall. We do not display our greatness by placing ourselves at one extremity, but rather by being at both at the same time, and filling up the whole of the space between them.

Fall, Greatness, Space

Man is so great that his greatness appears even in the consciousness of his misery. A tree does not know itself to be miserable. It is true that it is misery indeed to know one's self to be miserable; but then it is greatness also. In this way, all man's miseries go to prove his greatness. They are the miseries of a mighty potentate, of a dethroned monarch.

Greatness, Men, Self

Blaise Pascal (1829). “Thoughts on Religion and Other Subjects”, p.66

The origins of disputes between philosophers is, that one class of them have undertaken to raise man by displaying his greatness, and the other to debase him by showing his miseries.

Greatness, Men, Class

All of our miseries prove our greatness. They are the miseries of a dethroned monarch.

Greatness, Misery, Prove

It is of dangerous consequence to represent to man how near he is to the level of beasts, without showing him at the same time his greatness. It is likewise dangerous to let him see his greatness without his meanness. It is more dangerous yet to leave him ignorant of either; but very beneficial that he should be made sensible of both.

Greatness, Men, Ignorant

Sneezing absorbs all the functions of the soul just as much as the [sexual] act, but we do not draw from it the same conclusions against the greatness of man, because it is involuntary; although we bring it about, we do so involuntarily. It is not for the sake of the thing in itself but for another end, and is therefore not a sign of man's weakness, or his subjection to this act.

Sex, Greatness, Men

Blaise Pascal (1966). “Pascal Pensées”, Penguin Classics

Man's greatness is great in that he knows himself wretched. A tree does not know itself wretched. It is then being wretched to know oneself wretched; but it is being great to know that one is wretched.

Greatness, Men, Tree

"Selections from The Thoughts".

That something so obvious as the vanity of the world should be so little recognized that people find it odd and surprising to be told that it is foolish to seek greatness; that is most remarkable.

Greatness, Vanity, People

Blaise Pascal (1966). “Pascal Pensées”, Penguin Classics

Those who profess contempt for men, and put them on a level with beasts, yet wish to be admired and believed by men, and contradict themselves by their own feelings--their nature, which is stronger than all, convincing them of the greatness of man more forcibly than reason convinces them of his baseness.

Greatness, Men, Feelings

Evil is easily discovered; there is an infinite variety; good is almost unique. But some kinds of evil are almost as difficult to discover as that which we call good; and often particular evil of this class passes for good. It needs even a certain greatness of soul to attain to this, as to that which is good.

Unique, Greatness, Class

Blaise Pascal (1849). “Thoughts of Blaise Pascal”, p.147

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