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Rene Descartes

Rene Descartes Quotes

Philosopher

Rene Descartes, a French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and logician, is one of the most important thinkers in the history of Western philosophy. His philosophical ideas have had a profound impact on subsequent generations, particularly for his famous proposition 'Cogito, ergo sum'. Born on March 31, 1596, Descartes died on February 11, 1650.

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Famous Rene Descartes Quotes

“...it is certain that I am really distinct from my body, and can exist without it.”

Body Certain Awareness

Book:Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy

Source: Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy

“On the one hand I have a clear and distinct idea of myself, in so far as I am a thinking, non-extended thing; and on the other hand I have a distinct idea of body, in so far a this is simply an extended, non-thinking thing. And, accordingly, it is certain that I am really distinct from my body, and exist without it.”

Thinking Ideas Body Hands Certain Clear

Author:Rene Descartes

“There is a great difference between mind and body insomuch as body is by nature always divisible, and the mind is entirely indivisible.”

Mind Body Differences Mind And Body Indivisible

Book:RULES FOR THE DIRECTION OF THE MIND DISCOURSE ON THE METHOD MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE MEDITATIONS AND REPLIES THE GEOMETRY

Source: RULES FOR THE DIRECTION OF THE MIND DISCOURSE ON THE METHOD MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE MEDITATIONS AND REPLIES THE GEOMETRY

“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.”

Thinking Believe Body Science Lying Certain I Believe Memories Taken One Thing Shapes Illusion All Things Function Senses Location Extensions Body Shapes

Author:Rene Descartes

“The principal effect of the passions is that they incite and persuade the mind to will the events for which they prepared the body.”

Mind Body Passion Effects Events Prepared Principal

Author:Rene Descartes

“The nature of matter, or body considered in general, consists not in its being something which is hard or heavy or coloured, or which affects the senses in any way, but simply in its being something which is extended in length, breadth and depth.”

Way Matter Hard Body Science Depth Heavy Senses Length Breadth

Author:Rene Descartes

“... regard this body as a machine which, having been made by the hand of God, is incomparably better ordered than any machine that can be devised by man, and contains in itself movements more wonderful than those in any machine. ... it is for all practical purposes impossible for a machine to have enough organs to make it act in all the contingencies of life in the way in which our reason makes us act.”

Men Way Made Reason Enough Body Hands Purpose Wonderful Impossible Movement Machines Regard Practicals Organs Hands Of God Contingency

Author:Rene Descartes

“I am thinking, therefore I exist. (...) I was a substance whose whole essence or nature is solely to think, and which does not require any place, or depend on any material thing, in order to exist. Accordingly this 'I' - that is, the soul by which I am what I am - is entirely distinct from the body, and indeed is easier to know than the body, and would not fail to be whatever it is, even if the body did not exist.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Doe Soul Whole Body Order Failing Materials Depends Easier Essence Substance Material Things I Am What I Am

Author:Rene Descartes

“Hence reason also demands that, since our thoughts cannot all be true because we are not wholly perfect, what truth they do possess must inevitably be found in the thoughts we have when awake, rather than in our dreams.”

Reason Dream Body Found Perfect Demand Being True Awake Our Thoughts Our Dreams

Author:Rene Descartes

“Even those who have the weakest souls could acquire absolute mastery over all their passions if we employed sufficient ingenuity in training and guiding them.”

Ifs Soul Body Passion Training Absolutes Sufficient Acquire Mastery Employed Ingenuity

Author:Rene Descartes

“It is to the body alone that we should attribute everything that can be observed in us to oppose our reason.”

Should Reason Body Attributes

Author:Rene Descartes