Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.
He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God's providence to lead him aright.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of truth and duty as guiding principles in life, suggesting that trust in divine providence will lead to the right path.
Blaise Pascal's quote reflects the belief that aligning one's life with truth and dedicating oneself to a sense of duty provides a reliable foundation for navigating life's complexities. By trusting in God's providence, individuals can feel assured that they will be guided correctly, even in uncertain circumstances. It underscores a moral framework where integrity and responsibility are paramount, coupled with a faith in a higher powerβs guidance.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about personal integrity and responsibility.
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.
Those are weaklings who know the truth and uphold it as long as it suits their purpose, and then abandon it.
Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair.
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.
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?
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In our day the feeling of patriotism is an unnatural, irrational, and harmful feeling, and a cause of a great part of the ills from which mankind is suffering, and that, consequently, this feeling - should not be cultivated, as is now being done, but should, on the contrary, be suppressed and eradicated by all means available to rational men.
Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to reveal a social disaster.
Gods suppressed become devils, and often it is these devils whom we first encounter when we turn inward.
My hope is to create spaces where people of all stripes can come together and speak at a lower decibel level. We make more sense that way. We sound more like our real selves that way.