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Spartan Surfers

1623–1662

Pascal

French mathematician and inventor who left his notes on the human condition unfinished. They were published after his death as the Pensées.

8 sourced lines

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

  1. All human trouble comes from not being able to sit quietly in a room.

    Pascal noticed that people run to war, sea and court to escape being alone with themselves. Restlessness causes much of our misery. Practice sitting still.

    Pensées 139 (Brunschvicg), our translation from the French

  2. A human is only a reed, but a thinking reed.

    A drop of water can kill us, Pascal says, yet even then we are nobler than the universe, because we know we die. Our dignity lies in thought. Use it.

    Pensées 347 (Brunschvicg), our translation from the French

  3. Work at thinking well. That is where morality starts.

    Pascal places human worth in thought rather than size or time. Clear thinking comes before good action. Train your mind and your conduct follows.

    Pensées 347 (Brunschvicg), our translation from the French

  4. The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of.

    Pascal was a mathematician who still believed some truths are felt before they are proved. Love and faith run on their own logic. Do not dismiss what you know in your gut.

    Pensées 277 (Brunschvicg), our translation from the French

  5. Try to play the angel and you end up playing the beast.

    Humans are neither angels nor animals, Pascal says. Pretending to be above human needs tends to end in the worst behavior. Accept your nature and work with it.

    Pensées 358 (Brunschvicg), our translation from the French

  6. We never live. We only hope to live.

    Our thoughts keep running to the past and the future, Pascal says, and almost never to the present. So we are always getting ready to be happy. Notice the moment you are in.

    Pensées 172 (Brunschvicg), our translation from the French

  7. Our nature is motion. Total rest is death.

    The same Pascal who praised sitting quietly saw that a living thing is always moving. Stillness of mind and stagnation of life are not the same. Keep moving.

    Pensées 129 (Brunschvicg), our translation from the French

  8. We're best persuaded by reasons we find ourselves.

    Pascal adds: more than by those that came into someone else's head. To change a mind, help the person find the answer. Ask better questions instead of giving lectures.

    Pensées 10 (Brunschvicg), our translation from the French