“We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart.”
- June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662
- French
- Mathematician, Physicist, Inventor, Philosopher, Theologian
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Quote
“We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart.”
Explanation
Pascal affirms that human beings possess two distinct but complementary paths to truth: reason and the heart. Reason allows us to deduce, analyze, and construct knowledge through logic and evidence. But there are truths—especially moral, emotional, and spiritual truths—that cannot be reached by reason alone. The heart, for Pascal, represents intuition, feeling, and the soul’s direct apprehension of meaning. It grasps what reason may overlook or cannot fully explain.
This quote encapsulates one of Pascal’s most famous and foundational themes in Pensées, where he defends Christian faith against rationalist skepticism. He does not reject reason—being a brilliant mathematician and scientist himself—but he recognizes its limits. For Pascal, some of the most important truths in life—love, beauty, justice, God—are known through the heart’s conviction, not through syllogisms. His theology rests on the belief that faith is not irrational, but suprarational, appealing to a deeper dimension of human awareness.
In the modern world, this quote remains strikingly relevant. As science and logic dominate many spheres of life, Pascal reminds us that not all wisdom is empirical. People rely on their hearts when choosing whom to love, discerning right from wrong, or finding purpose in suffering. His insight speaks to the wholeness of human knowledge, encouraging us to value both rational clarity and emotional depth—not as rivals, but as partners in the search for truth.
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