Men are not to be judged by what they do not know, but by what they know, and by the manner in which they know it.

Most people grow old within a small circle of ideas, which they have not discovered for themselves. There are perhaps less wrong-minded people than thoughtless.

Some authors regard morality in the same light as we regard modern architecture. Convenience is the first thing to be looked for.

A new principle is an inexhaustible source of new views.

The mind is the soul's eye, not its source of power. That lies in the heart, in other words, in the passions.

All grand thoughts come from the heart.

You can purchase the mind of Pascal for a crown. Pleasures even cheaper are sold to those who give themselves up to them. It is only luxuries and objects of caprice that are rare and difficult to obtain; unfortunately they are the only things that touch the curiosity and taste of ordinary men.