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When we see a natural style, we are astonished and delighted; for we expected to see an author, and we find a man. Whereas those who have good taste, and who seeing a book expect to find a man, are quite surprised to find an author. Plus poetice quam humane locutus es. "You have spoken more poetically than humanly."

The heart has its reasons, which Reason does not know. We feel it in a thousand things. It is the heart which feels God, and not Reason. This, then, is perfect faith: God felt in the heart.

The last thing one settles in writing a book is what one should put in first.

All our reasoning boils down to yielding to sentiment.

Who knows if this other half of life where we think we're awake is not another sleep a little different from the first.

True morality makes fun of morality.

Our nature consists in motion; complete rest is death.

Translation: Animals do not admire one another. A horse does not admire his companion.

Cleopatra's nose: had it been shorter, the whole aspect of the world would have been altered.

Between us and heaven or hell there is only life, which is the frailest thing in the world.

To make light of philosophy is to be a true philosopher.

Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature; but he is a thinking reed. The entire universe need not arm itself to crush him. A vapour, a drop of water suffices to kill him. But, if the universe were to crush him, man would still be more noble than that which killed him, because he knows that he dies and the advantage which the universe has over him; the universe knows nothing of this. All our dignity consists, then, in thought. By it we must elevate ourselves, and not by space and time which we cannot fill. Let us endeavour, then, to think well; this is the principle of morality.