God is, or He is not. But to which side shall we incline? Reason can decide nothing here. There is an infinite chaos which separates us. A game is being played at the extremity of this infinite distance where heads or tails will turn up. What will you wager?... If you win, you win everything; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is.

Dieu est ou il n’est pas. Mais de quel côté pencherons-nous ? La raison n’y peut rien déterminer; il y a un chaos infini qui nous sépare. Il se joue un jeu, à l’extrémité de cette distance infinie, où il arrivera croix ou pile. Que gagerez-vous?...: si vous gagnez vous gagnez tout, et si vous perdez vous ne perdez rien : gagez donc qu'il est sans hésiter.

Blaise Pascal

Pensées

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Topic

Existence of God God Probability

Author

Blaise Pascal

Source

Pensées

Medium

Epigram

Genre

Philosophical literature

Language

French

Time

1662 1660s 17th century

Era

Age of Enlightenment

Occupation

Philosopher Writer

From

France Europe

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Pascal, Blaise. Pensées. 1662, no. 229

Current Citation

Pascal, Blaise. Pensées. Translated by A. J. Krailsheimer. Penguin, 1995, no. 229.

Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote by Blaise Pascal

We never do evil so fully and cheerfully as when we do it out of conscience.

Blaise Pascal

Pensées

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More information about this quote
Topic
Hurting others Evil

Author

Blaise Pascal
Source
Pensées
Medium
Epigram
Genre
Philosophical literature
Language
French
Time
1662 1660s 17th century
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Pascal, Blaise. Pensées. 1662, no. 895.

Current Citation

Pascal, Blaise. Pensées. Translated by A. J. Krailsheimer. Penguin, 1995, no. 895.

Another quote from the 1660s

In appearance, at least, he being on all occasions glad to be at friendship with me, though we hate one another, and know it on both sides.

Samuel Pepys

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More information about this quote
Topic
Keeping up appearances Frenemies

Author

Samuel Pepys
Medium
Personal journal
Language
English
Time
1668 1660s 17th century
Authentication Score 2
Citation

Pepys, Samuel. "22 Sept. 1668." Diary entry.

Another quote about God

It is convenient that there be gods, and, as it is convenient, let us believe that there are.

Ovid

Read Ars Amatoria at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Existence of God God

Author

Ovid
Source
Ars Amatoria
Medium
Poem
Language
Latin
Time
2 0s 1st century
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Ovid. Ars Amatoria. 2, bk. 1, l. 637.

Current Citation

Ovid. "Ars Amatoria." Ovid: The Art of Love and Other Poems. Harvard UP, 1929, bk. 1, l. 637.

Another quote from Age of Enlightenment

To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction; or, the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal, and directed to contrary parts.

Isaac Newton

Principia

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Topic
Cause and effect Physics Science

Author

Isaac Newton
Source
Principia
Genre
Scientific literature
Language
Latin
Time
1726 1720s 18th century
Era
Age of Enlightenment
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Newton, Isaac. "Axioms or Laws of Motion: Law 3." Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica [Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.] 1726.

Current Citation

Newton, Isaac. "Axioms or Laws of Motion: Law 3." Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica [Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.] Translated by Andrew Motte. Prometheus, 1995.

Another quote originally in French

An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.

Victor Hugo

Read History of a Crime at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Power of ideas

Author

Victor Hugo
Source
The History of a Crime
Language
French
Time
1878 1870s 19th century
Authentication Score 2
Citation

Hugo, Victor. "La Chute [Conclusion]." Histoire d'un crime, 2eme partie [History of a Crime, part 2]. 1878, ch. 10.