Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.
Blaise PascalRead
Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the skepticism and fear people have towards the truth of religion.
Blaise Pascal's quote highlights the complex relationship many individuals have with religion. It suggests that while some may outwardly express disdain or contempt for religious beliefs, it often stems from a deeper fear of acknowledging the possibility that those beliefs could actually hold truth. This reaction reveals an internal struggle between belief and disbelief, where the fear of the implications of religious truth can provoke hostility.
Themes
ReligionSkepticismFearTruthBelief
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about faith and spirituality, one might quote Pascal to emphasize the fear underlying disbelief.
More from Blaise Pascal
All quotes βIf we submit everything to reason our religion will be left with nothing mysterious or supernatural. If we offend the principles of reason our religion will be absurd and ridiculous . . . There are two equally dangerous extremes: to exclude reason, to admit nothing but reason.
Blaise PascalRead
Those are weaklings who know the truth and uphold it as long as it suits their purpose, and then abandon it.
Blaise PascalRead
Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair.
Blaise PascalRead
If he exalts himself, I humble him. If he humbles himself, I exalt him. And I go on contradicting him Until he understands That he is a monster that passes all understanding.
Blaise PascalRead
What use is it to us to hear it said of a man that he has thrown off the yoke that he does not believe there is a God to watch over his actions, that he reckons himself the sole master of his behavior, and that he does not intend to give an account of it to anyone but himself?
Blaise PascalRead
Similar quotes
What I find very interesting is, we're not enthralled by the ancient world, and we've escaped all kinds of ancient preconceptions and assumptions and prejudices. But, nevertheless, we still make that connection between authoritative speech and male speech.
Mary BeardRead
Thus each of us had to be content to live only for the day, alone under the vast indifference of the sky.
Albert CamusRead
Who in the Bible besides Jesus knew--knew--that we're carrying the Kingdom of Heaven around with us, inside, where we're all too goddam stupid and sentimental and unimaginative to look?
J. D. SalingerRead
We ought not to extract pernicious honey from poison blossoms of misrepresentation and mendacious half-truth, to pamper the course appetite of bigotry and self-love.
Samuel Taylor ColeridgeRead
It had been a humdrum couple of days, reaffirming his belief in reincarnation: everything was so boring that this could not be the first time he'd experienced it.
Colson WhiteheadRead
Sometimes legends make reality, and become more useful than the facts.
Salman RushdieRead