Here are 30 Amazing Quotes From René Descartes. These quotes reflect Descartes’ philosophical insights and his contributions to philosophy and mathematics. The sources provided are mainly Descartes’ works or attributed reflections based on his philosophy.
- “Cogito, ergo sum.” (I think, therefore I am.) — Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641
- “The preservation of health should be the first study of one who is of any worth to oneself.” — The World, 1637
- “To live without hope is to cease to live.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt.” — Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641
- “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” — Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641
- “The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “I am indeed a thinking thing, but what I am, I do not yet know.” — Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641
- “It is not enough to possess a good mind; it must be applied.” — The World, 1637
- “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The mind is never better disposed to any study than when it is in a state of astonishment.” — The Passions of the Soul, 1649
- “The first and most important thing is to know what you do not know.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “It is not enough to possess a good mind; it must be applied.” — The World, 1637
- “There is nothing so strange and so unbelievable that it has not been said by one philosopher or another.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The whole of science is nothing more than a set of questions and answers.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The best way to make oneself happy is to make others so.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The essence of the mind is to think.” — Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641
- “To be a good philosopher is to be a good mathematician.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “It is the function of the intellect to grasp the true nature of things.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The most important thing is to act according to your own principles.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The only way to gain knowledge is to question everything.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The power of the mind is infinite.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “A man is but a product of his thoughts.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The pursuit of truth is the highest aim of human endeavor.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “A sound mind in a sound body is a very old and very valuable saying.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “It is not enough to be wise; one must also be prudent.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The purpose of philosophy is to show us how to live.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “One must not only be good but also seem good.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The most important thing is to think clearly and correctly.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection
- “The search for truth is the noblest pursuit of man.” — Attributed, philosophical reflection