Rene Descartes Quotes

Wise men argue causes; fools decide them.

I hate facts. I always say the chief end of man is to form general propositions - adding that no general proposition is worth a damn.

A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.

Arguments derived from probabilities are idle.

Even if all parts of a problem seem to fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, one has to remember that the probable need not necessarily be the truth and the truth not always probable.

Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises.

Where sense is wanting, everything is wanting.

Common sense is the measure of the possible; it is composed of experience and prevision; it is calculation applied to life.

Common Sense is that which judges the things given to it by other senses.

Reasoning draws a conclusion, but does not make the conclusion certain, unless the mind discovers it by the path of experience.

Common sense is calculation applied to life.

The only question which any wise man can ask himself, and which any honest man will ask himself, is whether a doctrine is true or false.

We can only reason from what is; we can reason on actualities, but not on possibilities.

Wisdom is knowing when you can't be wise.

If all you have is faith, then you never actually know anything.

In the last analysis sound judgment will prevail.

Common sense is not so common.

Logic is the technique by which we add conviction to truth.

Every mind must make its choice between truth and repose. It cannot have both.

You have to have the common sense.

In Greece wise men speak and fools decide.

A thousand probabilities don't make one fact.

Knowledge is justified belief.

In my opinion, it helps enormously to know why something is true, rather than being told it is true, for why should you believe me? Never believe anything on the authority of a single person but seek confirmation — and reason is the best confirmation

Facts are more mundane than fantasies, but a better basis for conclusions.