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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

“Common sense is the best distributed thing in the world, for we all think we possess a good share of it.”

Thinking World Common Share Common Sense

Author:Rene Descartes

“Everybody thinks himself so well supplied with common sense that even those most difficult to please. . . never desire more of it than they already have.”

Thinking Wells Desire Difficult Common Please Common Sense

Author:Rene Descartes

“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

“Sensations are nothing but confused modes of thinking.”

Thinking Confused Sensations

Author:Rene Descartes

“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

“Let whoever can do so deceive me, he will never bring it about that I am nothing, so long as I continue to think I am something.”

Thinking Long Can Do Deceiving

Author:Rene Descartes

“I am thing that thinks: that is, a things that doubts,affirms, denies, understands a few things, is ignorant of many things, is willing, is unwilling, and also which imagines and has sensory perceptions.”

Thinking Life Doubt Imagine Willing Perception Deny Ignorant Unwilling Sensory Sensory Perception

Author:Rene Descartes

“Good sense is, of all things among men, the most equally distributed; for every one thinks himself so abundantly provided with it, that those even who are the most difficult to satisfy in everything else, do not usually desire a larger measure of this quality than they already possess.”

Thinking Men Desire Difficult Quality All Things Good Sense

Book:Discourse on the Method and the Meditations

Source: Discourse on the Method and the Meditations

“Instead I ought to be grateful to Him who never owed me anything for having been so generous to me, rather than think that He deprived me of those things or has taken away from me whatever He did not give me.”

Thinking Giving Taken Ought Give Me Grateful Generous Be Grateful Deprived

Author:Rene Descartes

“I think; therefore I am.”

Thinking Inspirational Atheism Humorous Atheist Intelligence Famous Inspirational

Book:Discourse on the Method: Discourse On the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason, and Seeking Truth In the Sciences (Beloved Books Edition)

Source: Discourse on the Method: Discourse On the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason, and Seeking Truth In the Sciences (Beloved Books Edition)

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

Thinking Power Aries

Book:Meditations

Source: Meditations

“Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.”

Thinking Needs Common Common Sense No Common Sense

Author:Rene Descartes

“Common sense is the most fairly distributed thing in the world, for each one thinks he is so well-endowed with it that even those who are hardest to satisfy in all other matters are not in the habit of desiring more of it than they already have.”

Thinking World Wells Matter Common Habit Respect Hardest Common Sense

Author:Rene Descartes

“I can doubt everything, except one thing, and that is the very fact that I doubt. Simply put - I think, therefore I am”

Thinking I Can Facts Doubt One Thing Genius

Author:Rene Descartes

“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.”

Thinking Wells Has Beens Philosophy Use Care Names Principles Consequence Proportion Diverse Distinguished Apprehension Deductions Aries Departing

Author:Rene Descartes

“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.”

Thinking Knows Humans May Philosophy Moments Spirit Existence Greater Depends Evidence Evident Human Spirit Existence Of God Certitude

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