People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.

If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.

I know whom I have believed.

It is certain that those who have the living faith in their hearts see at once that all existence is none other than the work of the God whom they adore. But for those in whom this light is extinguished, [if we were to show them our proofs of the existence of God] nothing is more calculated to arouse their contempt. . . .

The state of man is inconstancy, ennui, anxiety.

Man is so made that if he is told often enough that he is a fool he believes it.

The art of revolutionizing and overturning states is to undermine established customs, by going back to their origin, in order to mark their want of justice.