“Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.”
- June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662
- French
- Mathematician, Physicist, Inventor, Philosopher, Theologian
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Quote
“Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.”
Explanation
Pascal draws a profound contrast between the way we come to understand human beings and the way we approach the divine. With humans, love follows knowledge—we observe, interact, and learn about someone before developing affection. But with the divine, love is the gateway to understanding. Only by opening the heart in faith and devotion can one truly come to know God. This reverses the ordinary sequence of reason before feeling, suggesting that spiritual truth requires a posture of humility and love before comprehension.
In the Pensées, Pascal repeatedly emphasizes that reason alone cannot grasp God, and that the heart has its own form of knowledge. This quote encapsulates that idea: divine understanding is not analytical but relational. In the 17th century, amid growing confidence in rational inquiry and skepticism toward religious dogma, Pascal insisted that faith is not illogical, but suprarational—something that reason cannot unlock without the help of love and grace.
In contemporary terms, this insight still speaks powerfully. People often seek to “understand” spirituality through debate or science, but Pascal suggests that true encounter with the divine begins with love and trust, not argument. Just as deep relationships require emotional vulnerability, so too does the spiritual life. Whether in religion, art, or moral reflection, some truths reveal themselves only when the heart is engaged—a timeless reminder that love can be the beginning of wisdom.
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