100+ Descartes phrases

René Descartes (1596-1650) was a French scientist, mathematician and philosopher known especially for being one of the first scholars to propose the mind-body duality and for defending a science based on experimentation and observation..

One of the most important points of the philosophy of Descartes is that he wanted to separate his ideas from the preceding philosophers, without being influenced. In the introduction of The passions of the soul he said he would treat the issue "as if no hand has ever written about those problems before".

Descartes proposed that the way to describe the truth is from a rational approach; through math and science. His most important works are Discourse of the method (1637), Principles of philosophy (1644), Metaphysical meditations (1641) and The passions of the soul (1649).

Descartes was therefore the philosopher who began the rationalism of the seventeenth century, later opposed by the empiricists Hume, Locke or Hobbes. His work Metaphysical meditations it is still a must-read text in the philosophy career of universities around the world. He also had a great contribution in mathematics; the Cartesian system is named after him.

Descartes phrases about his philosophy

With these phrases of Rene Descartes you can learn from his philosophy, thoughts and ideas about different aspects of life. You will see that he was a man ahead of his time, with great intelligence and with a lot of knowledge and wisdom..

I think, therefore I exist (Cogito ergo sum).

It is a quote that sums up rationalist thinking. In this way, Descartes explained that thinking is a way of proving the existence.

Doubt is the origin of wisdom.

Doubt leads to research and study, therefore, to wisdom.

Illusory bliss is more valid than real punishment.

Many times, people's ignorance about some issues makes them happier.

Everything complex can be divided into simple parts.

To solve a complicated problem it is better to separate it into several easy to solve problems.

To be happy, better to modify our desires than to order the world.

If you want to be happy, control your thoughts, do not try to modify how the world works.

I'd give everything I know for half of what I don't know.

The knowledge acquired by humanity is negligible compared to the things that are still unknown.

We don't describe the world we see, we see the world we can describe.

People's vision of all things is always influenced by their preconceptions about them..

Conquer yourself instead of conquering the world.

It is essential to know and accept our strengths and weaknesses.

It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.

It is useless to have a good mind if you do not know what to do with it.

Living without philosophizing is the same as keeping your eyes closed, without trying to open them.

Philosophy is in charge of doubting and analyzing everything that exists, looking for answers to everything that happens around us..

How can we be sure that our life is not a dream?

One of the themes in Descartes' philosophy is existence; how to know if one really exists.

All things happen mathematically.

For Descartes, all phenomena could be explained through mathematics.

In order to improve the mind, we must learn less and contemplate more.

To develop the intellect, it is not only necessary to learn, but also to observe the phenomena that occur in the world.

Being unable to show enthusiasm is a sign of mediocrity.

People who lack enthusiasm, are not able to feel the urge to improve, evolve, advance.

Except for our own thoughts, there is absolutely nothing in our power.

The only thing we can really control is what we think.

If you want to be a true seeker of the truth, it is necessary that you doubt at least once in your life, as far as possible, of all things.

Doubt is what makes us look for the true meaning of things.

Admitting false opinions about something is like losing a battle.

We must never take for granted what we do not believe to be so.

When you spend too much time traveling, you finally become a foreigner in your own country..

When traveling, the customs of the different cultures that have been known are assimilated and integrated, so that the person is no longer the same as he was before traveling..

Philosophy distinguishes us from savages and barbarians; nations are all the more civilized and cultured the better their men philosophize.

The societies that advance are those that are interested in knowing the truth of things.

All good things are difficult to achieve and bad things are very easy to achieve.

Nothing really good comes without effort.

Think before doing something and do not start anything without having fully consulted all the circumstances.

For Descartes, prudence was part of wisdom.

Feeling is nothing more than thinking.

For Descartes, feelings are also a form of thought.

The two operations of our understanding: intuition and deduction.

Through intuition and deduction a person can obtain knowledge.

Whether asleep or awake, two plus three will always be five, and the square will have no more than four sides.

For Descartes mathematics is objective, they are independent of the observer.

Many beliefs are supported by prejudice and tradition.

Most of the things that we believe to be true are nothing more than unproven theories, which were imposed on society by prejudices and traditions..

There is no spirit, however stupid and rude, incapable of acquiring the highest virtues if guided as necessary..

We are all capable of learning.

Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to solve it.

Always try to divide complicated problems into simple parts to solve..

Two things help to advance: to go faster than the others or to be on the right track.

To advance you can do the same as the rest of the people, but faster. You can also do things our way and move forward with confidence in what you are doing.

Not being useful to anyone is equivalent to being worthless.

We must always help other people.

The good we have done gives us an inner satisfaction that is the sweetest of all passions..

Acting in a good way is the best thing a person can do in the world.

To find out what people really think, pay attention to what they do, rather than what they say.

You are what you do, not what you say you are.

Bad books make bad habits, but bad habits make good books.

Bad habits cause people to make mistakes, and by making mistakes they question their habits. This generates that they investigate and try to discover new habits, which will translate them into good books.

Every time someone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that crime cannot reach me.

Never let other people's comments affect us.

Reading all the good books is like a conversation with the best minds of centuries past..

It is always good to study and understand what other people have discovered.

The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as the greatest virtues..

That a person is very intelligent and capable does not mean that he is perfect.

Reason or judgment is the only thing that makes us men and distinguishes us from animals.

Descartes thought that animals had no reasoning capacity.

Traveling is almost the same as talking to those of other centuries.

When traveling, a person can see how people who are not close to their usual reality live and think.

There is nothing so strange and so incredible that it has not been said by one philosopher or another.

Philosophy has existed for centuries, so it covers all topics.

I made all the mistakes I could make. But i kept going.

There is nothing wrong with being wrong, as long as we don't stop.

The senses deceive from time to time, and it is wise not to fully trust those who have deceived us even once..

Our perception of the world is limited by the capacity of our senses.

Reading a book teaches more than talking to its author, because the author has only put his best thoughts on the book.

In the books the authors try to present all their knowledge accurately and clearly. Instead, in a conversation, the author may deviate from the topic.

Mathematics is the science of order and measurement, of beautiful chains of reasoning, all simple and easy.

For Descartes, mathematics was the most important science that existed.

I am used to sleeping and in my dreams imagining the same things that crazy people imagine when they are awake.

In dreams things often happen that are not possible in reality.

An optimist can see a light where there is none, but why should the pessimist always run to turn it off??

A pessimistic person will always find a problem for every solution.

Nothing is distributed more fairly than with common sense: no one thinks they need more than they already have.

The common sense of each person tells them how far to ask, how much they need.

Get rid of all impressions of the senses and imagination, and trust only reason.

For Descartes, only through reasoning is it possible to arrive at the truth.

When it is not in our power to follow what is true, we must follow what is most probable.

The knowledge that the human being possesses is limited, but it is always necessary to look for through reasoning what is close to the truth.

If it is not in our power to discern the best opinions, we must follow the most probable.

You always have to try to follow the path of truth.

The joy that is born of good is serious, while that that is born of evil is accompanied by laughter and ridicule.

The joy that is obtained when things are done in a good way is more authentic than that produced by doing things without effort or dedication.

It would be absurd for us who are finite to try to determine infinite things.

The human being does not possess divine power, therefore, his capacity is finite. In this sense, it is not for you to make the decisions that only God can make..

At last I am going to dedicate myself sincerely and without reservation to the general demolition of my opinions.

To acquire new knowledge, it is important to question previous ideas about the world..

It is enough to judge well to do good, and to judge the best possible to also act in the best way.

Expecting the best of people brings better things than expecting the worst of them.

My only wish is to know the world and the comedies that are represented in it.

In every part of the world there is a particular and sometimes picturesque way of doing things.

The most generous tend to be the most humble.

People who have little tend to share it more easily.

My goal is not to teach the method that everyone should follow to use their reason well, but to show how I have tried to use mine well.

In science, establishing a single way of doing things is not presented as a guarantee of success, but it can facilitate access to knowledge in many areas.

A state is better governed if it has few laws and those laws are thoroughly enforced.

When there are many laws, their enforcement can be confusing and contradictory.

Perfect numbers, as well as perfect men, are very rare.

There will hardly be a human being who does not comment on mistakes.

I hope posterity judges me kindly.

When radical claims are made about something that most people believe to be true, it is possible to fall victim to strong opinions..

The first maxim is not to accept something as real until you have known it in such a way that I do not doubt it.

To access true knowledge, you must first doubt everything known and then verify its veracity.

I am amazed at how weak my mind can be and how prone to error.

Even with the application of the scientific method, there are things that escape the human mind.

Every problem that I have solved has become a rule that has helped me to solve the following problems.

Access to knowledge occurs gradually, solving one problem after another.

I think that not even I have a sense of being.

Nothing can be taken for granted, the meaning of everything must be doubted to arrive at true knowledge.

I guess in the end all things are an illusion.

Everything that we perceive and filter through thought is only a reflection of reality, therefore, it is not true.

He who hides well, lives well.

Anonymity allows people to be more free.

I want to live in peace and continue the life that I have started under the motto "live well, live without being seen".

Fame and fortune can bring chaos to life, so it is better to be successful and go unnoticed..

Masked, I have to move on.

Great things are done by people whose name remains anonymous.

With me it all turns to math.

Everything we know can be understood through mathematical logic.

Those who travel very slowly can make much greater progress, provided they stay on the straight path, compared to those who abandon it while running..

Constancy and perseverance make the difference when it comes to pursuing a goal.

Eloquence has incomparable powers and beauty.

A good vocabulary and expressive capacity endow people with incomparable attributes.

Theology teaches us how to go to heaven.

The study of religion exposes what we must do to access salvation after life.

Law, medicine and the other sciences bring honors and riches to those who persecute them.

In areas of knowledge that pursue the truth there are greater chances of being successful.

Everything is evident.

Everything in the world is real and palpable, therefore it is true.

We must rely on the acquisition of knowledge.

Only by knowing the truth can we be free.

Great minds, those that are capable of the highest excellences, are open to the greatest aberrations..

All great potential can be used for great things or for heinous issues.

Nature hates emptiness.

This principle starts from the limitations that matter has to be fully in the absence of air.

The main perfection of man is free will, which is what makes him worthy of praise or censure.

The freedom to make decisions belongs only to the human being. Depending on the decisions you make, your freedom may be imitated or limited.

I order my thoughts starting with the simplest and easiest objects to know, to gradually rise to the knowledge of the most complex things.

Access to knowledge must be done gradually, step by step, going from the simplest to the most complex.

Some say that the monkey is so smart that it does not speak so that they do not make it work.

Some people pretend to be unable to perform a task, so that it is not entrusted to them.

The best that a State can have is to have true philosophers.

Only in this way will the state access the truth from analytical thinking and the scientific method.

Dependency is really a flaw.  

We must be free of our primitive passions to really access knowledge.

All our thoughts cannot be true.

We have many thoughts, thousands a day, some true and others false.

Those who have been good lawyers for a long time will not for that reason become better judges..

Those who have been defending people for a long time may not be the right people to carry out sentences, as their position can be biased.

The hope of a good payment will make people do exactly what is asked of them.

A worker is better at what they do when they have the prospect of receiving a good salary on the horizon.

I am close to unraveling the chaos to make the light come out, and this is one of the most difficult subjects I can face.

Once the truth is revealed, it can be scarier than ignorance.

There is no soul that remains so attached to the objects of the senses that sometimes it does not turn away from them to desire a greater good.

It is possible to detach from something that is important to us, when something more important appears before us.

As for logic, his syllogisms serve rather to explain things already known to others than to learn.

Syllogisms are only based on deduction, which starts from certain and proven premises, therefore, knowledge is not generated from its application.

The first maxim of every citizen must be to obey the laws and customs of his country, and in all other things to govern himself according to the most moderate opinions and the most remote from excess..

Individuals must be governed by compliance with constitutional laws and social conventions.

I hope that they will judge me for all the things that I have explained and also for all the things that I have intentionally omitted, in order to leave others the pleasure of discovering them.

What some do not study can still be studied by others. Additionally, the theoretical interests of a person are explicitly seen in their work and research..

The trips serve to get to know the customs of other peoples and to put aside the prejudice that it is only in one's own country that one can live in the way one is accustomed to living..

Traveling helps to eliminate preconceptions about other cultures and to understand that in other parts of the world there are also ideal conditions to have a good life.

The diversity of our opinions does not come from the fact that some are more reasonable than others, but rather that we direct our thoughts in different directions and do not consider the same things..

Everyone has different interests, therefore, they develop more skills in some fields than in others. This does not make them incapable, it simply trains them in different fields of knowledge..

Descartes phrases about the truth

Better than seeking the truth without a method is never thinking about it.

The only way to access true knowledge is through the scientific method. Without method it is impossible to know the world.

Mathematical truths, which are called eternal, have been established by God and depend totally on Him, just like the rest of the individuals.

The reality we know is true and was created by God, including mathematics. Therefore, its existence, like that of all other subjects, depends on its creator..

There is nothing older than the truth.

The reality is rationally true, therefore true. In this way, it is understood that if reality is all true and true, it is also the oldest..

It is better not to go on a great search for the truth, it will only make you feel miserable..

Sometimes it is better to remain in the shadow of ignorance, without fully understanding the seriousness of the problems..

Often a false joy is worth more than a sadness whose cause is true.

Ignorance of the truth makes people happy, since they do not know the seriousness of a situation, and therefore it does not affect them. Many people choose ignorance to be happier than they would be knowing the truth.

Philosophy teaches us to speak with the appearance of truth about things and to make ourselves admire the less educated.

The language used to philosophize tends to be academic and unconventional, making explanations of simple phenomena more elaborate and difficult for less studied people to understand..

If I find new truths in science, I can say that six main problems follow, which I managed to solve successfully.

The quality of reasoning and knowledge will depend on the harmony of the six least evolved passions of man, known as joy, love, desire, hatred, sadness and wonder..

True wisdom consists in discovering the wisdom of others.

We are really wise when we recognize in the other their potential and capacities, instead of focusing only on our own.

Descartes phrases about God

Because existence belongs to the nature of God, we can clearly perceive it.

Everything given by God is true, therefore, if nature was created by him, it must also be true.

The existence of God must be held in my mind as certain as the truths of mathematics, which do not contemplate anything other than numbers and figures.

There is no place to doubt the existence of God, his divinity is as real as the facts and figures given by mathematics.

When I think simply of God and concentrate only on Him, I do not find any cause for error or lie; but when I think about myself, I realize that I am subject to multiple errors.

The human being cannot aspire to the perfection of God, since he will always be linked to his own imperfections and errors.

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