The knowledge of God is very far from the love of Him. God & knowledge
The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be wretched. A tree does not know itself to be wretched. great
We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart. truth
Too much and too little wine. Give him none, he cannot find truth give him too much, the same. truth
One must know oneself. If this does not serve to discover truth, it at least serves as a rule of life and there is nothing better. truth
Faith is different from proof the latter is human, the former is a Gift from God. faith & God
Faith embraces many truths which seem to contradict each other. faith
Two things control men's nature, instinct and experience. experience, men & nature
Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just. power
The greater intellect one has, the more originality one finds in men. Ordinary persons find no difference between men. men
It is the fight alone that pleases us, not the victory. alone
Man's greatness lies in his power of thought. power
Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary. great & intelligence
Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it. truth
He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God's providence to lead him aright. God, trust & truth
Men blaspheme what they do not know. men
Atheism shows strength of mind, but only to a certain degree. strength
To have no time for philosophy is to be a true philosopher. time
I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter. time
The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing. Valentine's Day
The charm of fame is so great that we like every object to which it is attached, even death. death & great
Human beings must be known to be loved but Divine beings must be loved to be known. religion
In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't. faith
If we examine our thoughts, we shall find them always occupied with the past and the future. future
Man's true nature being lost, everything becomes his nature as, his true good being lost, everything becomes his good. nature
If all men knew what others say of them, there would not be four friends in the world. men
Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere. nature
Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth. truth
Justice and truth are too such subtle points that our tools are too blunt to touch them accurately. truth
Men are so necessarily mad, that not to be mad would amount to another form of madness. men
Imagination disposes of everything it creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world. beauty, happiness & imagination
Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair. God
There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous. men
The sensitivity of men to small matters, and their indifference to great ones, indicates a strange inversion. great & men
It is incomprehensible that God should exist, and it is incomprehensible that he should not exist. God
Men often take their imagination for their heart and they believe they are converted as soon as they think of being converted. imagination & men
That we must love one God only is a thing so evident that it does not require miracles to prove it. God
Noble deeds that are concealed are most esteemed. inspirational
Happiness is neither without us nor within us. It is in God, both without us and within us. God & happiness
The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble. nature
Nothing gives rest but the sincere search for truth. truth
Imagination decides everything. imagination
When we are in love we seem to ourselves quite different from what we were before. love
It is not good to be too free. It is not good to have everything one wants. good
It is the heart which perceives God and not the reason. That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not by the reason. faith & God
Nothing is so intolerable to man as being fully at rest, without a passion, without business, without entertainment, without care. business
The struggle alone pleases us, not the victory. alone
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. men
Custom is our nature. What are our natural principles but principles of custom? nature
Our nature consists in motion complete rest is death. death & nature
Chance gives rise to thoughts, and chance removes them no art can keep or acquire them. art
Faith indeed tells what the senses do not tell, but not the contrary of what they see. It is above them and not contrary to them. faith
The strength of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special exertions, but by his habitual acts. strength
Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. men & religion
All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone. alone & men
Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed. nature
Faith certainly tells us what the senses do not, but not the contrary of what they see it is above, not against them. faith