I have concluded the evident existence of God, and that my existence depends entirely on God in all the moments of my life, that I do not think that the human spirit may know anything with greater evidence and certitude. Rene Descartes More Quotes by Rene Descartes More Quotes From Rene Descartes Each problem that I solved became a rule, which served afterwards to solve other problems. Rene Descartes humorous success witty Common sense is the most widely shared commodity in the world, for every man is convinced that he is well supplied with it. Rene Descartes common-sense humorous men Situations in life often permit no delay; and when we cannot determine the course which is certainly best, we must follow the one which is probably the best. This frame of mind freed me also from the repentance and remorse commonly felt by those vacillating individuals who are always seeking as worthwhile things which they later judge to be bad. Rene Descartes situations-in-life worthwhile-things judging And as it is the most generous souls who have most gratitude, it is those who have most pride, and who are most base and infirm, who most allow themselves to be carried away by anger and hatred. Rene Descartes gratitude hatred pride Science is practical philosophy. Rene Descartes practicals philosophy science In philosophy, when we make use of false principles, we depart the farther from the knowledge of truth and wisdom exactly in proportion to the care with which we cultivate them, and apply ourselves to the deduction of diverse consequences from them, thinking that we are philosophizing well, while we are only departing the farther from the truth; from which it must be inferred that they who have learned the least of all that has been hitherto distinguished by the name of philosophy are the most fitted for the apprehension of truth. Rene Descartes names philosophy thinking To live without philosophizing is in truth the same as keeping the eyes closed without attempting to open them. Rene Descartes attempting eye God alone is the author of all the motions in the world. Rene Descartes christianity world We never understand a thing so well,and make it our own, as when we have discovered it for ourselves. Rene Descartes wells knowledge He who hid well, lived well. Rene Descartes wells It's the familiar love-hate syndrome of seduction: "I don't really care what it is I say, I care only that you like it." Rene Descartes seduction care hate In God there is an infinitude of things which I cannot comprehend, nor possibly even reach in any way by thought; for it is the nature of the infinite that my nature, which is finite and limited, should not comprehend it. Rene Descartes infinite should way Perfect numbers like perfect men are very rare. Rene Descartes math numbers men Nothing comes out of nothing. Rene Descartes aries In order to improve the mind, we ought less to learn, than to contemplate. Rene Descartes learning caring order These long chains of perfectly simple and easy reasonings by means of which geometers are accustomed to carry out their most difficult demonstrations had led me to fancy that everything that can fall under human knowledge forms a similar sequence; and that so long as we avoid accepting as true what is not so, and always preserve the right order of deduction of one thing from another, there can be nothing too remote to be reached in the end, or to well hidden to be discovered. Rene Descartes math mean fall Neither the true nor the false roots are always real; sometimes they are imaginary; that is, while we can always imagine as many roots for each equation as I have assigned, yet there is not always a definite quantity corresponding to each root we have imagined. Rene Descartes ontology real roots The senses deceive from time to time, and it is prudent never to trust wholly those who have deceived us even once. Rene Descartes deceived-us hype trust Before examining this more carefully and investigating its consequences, I want to dwell for a moment in the contemplation of God, to ponder His attributes in me, to see, admire, and adore the beauty of His boundless light, insofar as my clouded insight allows. Believing that the supreme happiness of the other life consists wholly of the contemplation of divine greatness, I now find that through less perfect contemplation of the same sort I can gain the greatest joy available in this life. Rene Descartes greatness light believe I suppose therefore that all things I see are illusions; I believe that nothing has ever existed of everything my lying memory tells me. I think I have no senses. I believe that body, shape, extension, motion, location are functions. What is there then that can be taken as true? Perhaps only this one thing, that nothing at all is certain. Rene Descartes memories believe lying