“The consciousness of the falsity of present pleasures, and the ignorance of the vanity of absent pleasures, cause inconstancy.”
- June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662
- French
- Mathematician, Physicist, Inventor, Philosopher, Theologian
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Quote
“The consciousness of the falsity of present pleasures, and the ignorance of the vanity of absent pleasures, cause inconstancy.”
Explanation
Pascal explains human inconstancy—our tendency to shift desires and lose satisfaction—as the result of a twofold illusion. First, we often recognize that the pleasures we currently enjoy are shallow, false, or fleeting, which leads to disillusionment. But at the same time, we are ignorant of the emptiness of the pleasures we do not yet possess, falsely believing that happiness lies in what is still out of reach. This dual perception creates a cycle of restlessness: disappointment with the present and overestimation of the future.
This insight fits within Pascal’s broader critique in Pensées of divertissement, or the endless search for distraction and satisfaction outside of truth. He believed that the human heart is incurably hungry for lasting joy, but often seeks it in false objects—pleasure, ambition, novelty—none of which can truly satisfy. Inconstancy arises not because we change our minds, but because our desires are built on illusions, both of the known and the unknown.
In the modern context of consumer culture, social media, and perpetual novelty-seeking, Pascal’s diagnosis feels remarkably prescient. People chase trends, relationships, experiences—often finding them hollow, then looking to the next. His quote calls us to recognize this pattern and confront it honestly: true contentment does not lie in chasing new pleasures, but in understanding the nature of desire itself, and in seeking what endures beyond the surface.
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