Blaise Pascal quotes
1623 – 1662 · 17th century, France · Mathematician, physicist, inventor and religious thinker
About Blaise Pascal
Born in Clermont-Ferrand, Pascal made key contributions to probability theory, fluid mechanics and computing (the Pascaline). In later years he turned to religious reflection influenced by Jansenism; his papers, published posthumously as the Pensées, defend Christian faith and probe the limits of reason and rational proof.
Works: Pensées; Lettres provinciales; Treatise on the Arithmetic Triangle; scientific writings
Quotes
“The heart has its reasons which reason does not know.”
Source: Pensées, Section IV (XXVIII) · Check the source
Verified attribution What we know
- What is documented
- The sentence is preserved among the fragments of Pascal’s Pensées and appears in standard posthumous editions compiled by his friends.
Pascal insists that some truths are grasped by an inner faculty—the “heart”—that reason’s proofs cannot reach. Found in his Pensées, the line argues that faith and immediate intuition can apprehend first principles beyond logical demonstration.