Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes
René Descarteswas a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Dubbed the father of modern western philosophy, much of subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day. He spent about 20 years of his life in the Dutch Republic...
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth31 March 1596
CityIndre-et-Loire, France
mind statistics enough
For to be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough; the prime requisite is rightly to apply it.
dream life-is certain
How can you be certain that your whole life is not a dream?
memories judging perception
This result could have been achieved either by his [God] endowing my intellect with a clear and distinct perception of everything about which I would ever deliberate, or simply by impressing the following rule so firmly upon my memory that I could never forget it: I should never judge anything that I do not clearly and distinctly understand.
inspirational men one-man
Truths are more likely to be discovered by one man than by a nation
passion magic firsts
Wonder is the first of all the passions.
philosophical secure
The only secure knowledge is that I exist.
passion mind body
The principal effect of the passions is that they incite and persuade the mind to will the events for which they prepared the body.
wells
We never understand a thing so well,and make it our own, as when we have discovered it for ourselves.
joy sorrow genuine
Illusory joy is often worth more than genuine sorrow.
desire unseen motto
I desire to live in peace and to continue the life I have begun under the motto 'to live well you must live unseen
powerful knowledge math
Mathematics is a more powerful instrument of knowledge than any other that has been bequeathed to us by human agency.
thinking power aries
Except our own thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power.
running attitude optimistic
An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?
knowledge knows
I know that I exist; the question is, What is this 'I' that 'I' know.