At the far end of this infinite distance a coin is being spun which will come down heads or tails. How will you wager? Reason cannot make you choose either, reason cannot prove either wrong.
Knowlege of God without knowledge of man’s wretchedness leads to pride. Knowledge of man’s wretchedness without knowledge of God leads to despair. Knowledge of Jesus Christ is the middle course, because by it we discover both God and our wretched state.
Cleopatra’s nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed.
Man is neither angel nor brute, and the unfortunate thing is that he who would act the angel acts the brute.
When you say that Christ did not die for all men, you are abusing a weakness of men, who at once apply this exception to themselves, and this encourages despair, instead of turning them away from it to encourage hope.
As I write down my thought it sometimes escapes me, but that reminds me of my weakness, which I am always forgetting, and teaches me as much as my forgotten thought, for I care only about knowing that I am nothing.
The only religion which is against nature, against common sense and against our pleasures is the only one which has always existed.
One has followed the other in an endless circle, for it is certain that as man’s insight increases so he finds both wretchedness and greatness within himself. In a word man knows he is wretched. Thus he is wretched because he is so, but he is truly great because he knows it.
Wisdom leads us back to childhood. Except ye become as little children.
To be of noble birth is a great advantage. In eighteen years it places a man within the select circle, known and respected, as another have merited in fifty years. It is a gain of thirty years without trouble.
Do you want it always to cost me the blood of my humanity while you do not even shed a tear?
Ci Puo’ essere quakcosa di piu’ stupido del fatto che un uomo abbia il diritto di uccidermi perche’ vive sull’altra sponda di un fiume e il suo sovrano ha avuto una lite con il mio, anche se io non ho litigato con lui?
All of human unhappiness comes from one single thing: not knowing how to remain at rest in a room.
We never seek things for themselves, but for the search.
All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.
There is some pleasure in being on board a ship battered by storms when one is certain of not perishing. The persecutions buffeting the Church are like this.
Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.
In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.
We must learn our limits. We are all something, but none of us are everything.
Do you wish people to think well of you? Don’t speak well of yourself.