Original text (French)
Christian piety annihilates the egotism of the heart; worldly politeness veils and represses it.
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it conscientiously.
I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.
Force and not opinion is the queen of the world; but it is opinion that uses the force.
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.
To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.
Not for the body, but for the heart; companion and company are needed.
Love seldom haunts the breast where learning lies,
And Venus sets ere Mercury can rise.
Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Blaise Pascal (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.