85 phrases by René Descartes to understand his thinking
Rene Descartes is one of the greatest and most renowned European philosophers that history has given.
Considered by many as the father of modern philosophy and radical rationalism and mechanicism, considered that all knowledge should be submitted to judgment , using methodical doubt as a method to reach knowledge through different steps.
Understanding his theory is of great interest, so below we offer you 85 phrases by René Descartes to better understand his thinking .
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85 phrases and thoughts by René Descartes
Methodical doubt, the importance of mathematics as the purest of sciences, ideas and the search for the simplest elements, substances, modes and attributes, the separation between soul and body, the res cogitans and the res extensa , the evil genius, God, the provisional morality, the Cartesian axes…
All these concepts and ideas were worked on by Descartes throughout his life and have influenced the western way of thinking in one way or another.
To better understand many of these ideas we present 85 phrases of the French philosopher that make his thought more understandable
1. “Cogito, ergo sum”
Possibly the best known of his phrases, reflects one of the maxims of this philosopher: I think, therefore I am . We exist because we are capable of thinking, the knowledge of our own existence being demonstrated by this same capacity.
2. “Everything complex can be divided into simple parts”
One of the main elements that Descartes uses and proposes in his method to discover the truth in reducing each problem to its most basic and verifiable elements in the light of reason, simple ideas. From these, the different ideas are going to be associated to configure knowledge, requiring that each association has the same level of certainty as the simple idea.
3. “To investigate the truth one must doubt all things as far as possible”
Descartes considered that the main method to reach the truth, insofar as we are able to do so, is to doubt all the knowledge that has existed up to now.
4. “It would be absurd for us finite things to try to determine infinite things”
The human being is a limited being with concrete capacities . Aspects such as the infinite or the existence or non-existence of God cannot be known to us , having appeared for some reason in our minds.
5. “I would give everything I know for half of what I don’t know”
Our senses deceive us, so our understanding and knowledge are very limited. Human beings ignore many things, working with a multitude of assumptions that are not true. We will always be able to learn new things.
6. “There is hardly anything said by one whose opposite is not affirmed”
Each person has his or her own way of seeing the world, which is in conflict with the beliefs of others.
7. “Reason and judgment is the only thing that makes us human and distinguishes us from animals”
For Descartes, animals are nothing but elaborate machines with no ability to reason. The human being does enjoy this capacity, which makes us unique according to the author’s point of view.
8. “It is wise not to trust entirely those who have once deceived us”
With this sentence the author incites us to doubt what we perceive , since it is not uncommon for our senses to deceive us.
Mathematics is the science of order and measurement, of beautiful chains of reasoning, all simple and easy”
Descartes considered mathematics as the main science on which to base all knowledge, due to its logic and objectivity.
Philosophy is what distinguishes us from savages and barbarians; the more civilized and cultured nations are, the more they philosophize”
It is the role of philosophy as a discipline that helps to think and reflect on the world and to doubt that knowledge which is not such that enables a society to move forward.
Detach yourself from all impressions of the senses and imagination and trust only in reason”
The important role that Descartes gives to reason as that element that allows us to discern truth above what we perceive can be observed in this sentence.
12. “Whether I sleep or am awake, two plus three will always be five, and the square will have only four sides”
The conclusions drawn mathematically are not debatable for this author, being one of the few objective knowledge that exists. Again we can see that the author considers mathematics the purest of sciences.
13. “To live without philosophizing is, properly speaking, to have one’s eyes closed without ever trying to open them”
Philosophy tries to find answers to what is happening in the world. Not to philosophize therefore implies refusing to think and reflect on what we live, living only in the moment and not being able to discern the different options and possibilities that we may have.
14. “Better than seeking the truth without method is never to think about it, because disorderly studies and dark meditations disturb the natural lights of reason and blind the intelligence”
With this sentence Descartes criticizes the use of trickery, superstitions and poorly documented explanations of reality that can contaminate people’s capacity for reasoning.
15. “It often happens that there is not as much perfection in works composed of several pieces and made by the hands of many masters as in those in which only one has worked”
Very elaborate explanations can be complex to carry out rationally, and often something being explained by more than one person makes the conceptions of each of the authors on the same subject different, so that the final result can be blurred.
16. “By method I mean those certain and easy rules whose rigorous observation prevents the assumption of what is false as being true, and makes it possible, without being consumed by useless efforts and gradually increasing its science, for the spirit to arrive at the true knowledge of all things accessible to human intelligence”
Through this sentence we can see what the author was looking for at the moment of elaborating his method, the objective of his effort.
17. “Never admit anything to be true without having known with evidence that it was so; that is to say, to avoid with the utmost care haste and prevention, and not to admit in my judgments anything else that presents itself so clearly and distinctly to my spirit that it would have no reason to doubt it”
We often take for granted the truthfulness of what we are told or explained even if we have no proof that it is true. Descartes suggests that we should not act on what we are told, but rather reflect on the information we have been given and doubt it.
18. “A state is best governed if it has few laws and those laws are carefully observed”
Descartes repeatedly advocates the need for things to be made simple, needing to reduce the problems to their most basic elements in order to draw a conclusion as we bring them together. Having few laws means that we can understand them better, reaching the simple ideas of which they are composed and allowing them to be integrated.
19. “The multitude of laws often lends excuses to vices”
The opposite of the previous sentence, an excess of laws can make it difficult to reach their core and accept them as valid, creating confusion and making it easier for some people to break them.
20. “The first maxim was never to accept something real until I knew it in such a way that I did not doubt it”
Doubt is good, since it allows us to seek the core of things so that we can reach the truth. But as long as we can doubt something, we are not getting to know it to the fullest extent with which we cannot consider our perception to be real.
21. “In my humble opinion, all things in this world happen mathematically”
Again, the author reflects the conviction that mathematics is one of the few objective and real knowledge that we have.
22. “There is no soul, however unnoble, that remains so attached to the objects of the senses that it does not sometimes depart from them to desire a greater good”
Although human beings are prone to fall into fallacies and accept as true the information that comes to us through the senses, we have all at some time wondered why things are the way we perceive them . In the same way, we tend to want the common good in spite of desiring what we see.
23. “No spirit, however foolish and rude, is incapable of acquiring the highest virtues if he is led as he should be led”
We are all capable of virtue.
24. “It is not enough to have good wit, the main thing is to apply it well”
Being able to see something doesn’t make us act on it. We must try to match our actions (physical and mental) and thoughts.
25. “Reading a book teaches more than talking to its author, because the author has put only his best thoughts into the book”
The effort of an author to reflect the best of himself in his work makes him involved to a great extent in everything he does, presenting less ramblings and reflecting more clearly his beliefs.
26. “The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as the greatest virtues”
The ability to reason does not make us intrinsically good, being able to lead our efforts towards different purposes.
27. “Except for our own thoughts, there is absolutely nothing in our power”
The only thing that is truly ours, and in fact what makes us who we are, is our ability to think.
28. “To know what people really think, pay attention to what they do rather than what they say”
Our actions reflect much better what we think than what we say, which is more easily manipulated or even misinterpreted.
29. “To be of no use to anyone is to be worthless”
This phrase reflects that the human being needs to have a valid function in life, being useful to the world in some way.
30. “Every time I have been offended, I try to raise my soul so high that the crime cannot reach me”
It’s not who offends who wants to, but who can. If we are above such offense it will not hurt us.
31. “Two things contribute to progress: going faster than others, or going the right way”
Progress is achieved through effort. Going faster than others may seem to move us forward, but it can lead us down a path that leads to deception. On the other hand, to move forward meticulously by doubting reality allows the conclusions we end up drawing to be probably more true.
32. “To feel is to think”
Feelings and emotions, although they can be vitiated by the information that comes to us through the senses, are still for the author a way of thinking that can lead us through his analysis to the search for truth.
Bad books lead to bad habits and bad habits lead to good books”
To err is not bad, since it allows us to doubt and reflect on what is wrong. That is why, although a wrong book or education may cause a wrong way of thinking, in the long run this may cause us to seek the truth.
34. “The good we have done gives us an inner satisfaction that is the sweetest of passions”
Cartesian morality proposes that rational man should seek the supreme good or virtue, which produces spiritual happiness as the highest level of pleasure we can attain.
35. “It is better to change our desires than to order the world”
Considering that the only thing we can control are our own thoughts, Descartes proposes that it is better to change our desires than to try to change the established order.
Although human beings are prone to fall into fallacies and accept as true the information that comes to us through the senses, we have all at some time wondered why things are the way we perceive them .
In the same way, we tend to want the common good in spite of desiring what we see.
23. “No spirit, however foolish and rude, is incapable of acquiring the highest virtues if he is led as he should be led”
We are all capable of virtue.
24. “It is not enough to have good wit, the main thing is to apply it well”
Being able to see something doesn’t make us act on it.
We must try to match our actions (physical and mental) and thoughts.
25. “Reading a book teaches more than talking to its author, because the author has put only his best thoughts into the book”
The effort of an author to reflect the best of himself in his work makes him involved to a great extent in everything he does, presenting less ramblings and reflecting more clearly his beliefs.
26. “The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as the greatest virtues”
The ability to reason does not make us intrinsically good, being able to lead our efforts towards different purposes.
27. “Except for our own thoughts, there is absolutely nothing in our power”
The only thing that is truly ours, and in fact what makes us who we are, is our ability to think.
28. “To know what people really think, pay attention to what they do rather than what they say”
Our actions reflect much better what we think than what we say, which is more easily manipulated or even misinterpreted.
29. “To be of no use to anyone is to be worthless”
This phrase reflects that the human being needs to have a valid function in life, being useful to the world in some way.
30. “Every time I have been offended, I try to raise my soul so high that the crime cannot reach me”
On the other hand, informing ourselves of what many important thinkers have discovered or reflected on the world allows us to see new ways of capturing reality that we can use to elaborate our own knowledge.
44. The joy that is born of good is serious, while the joy that is born of evil is accompanied by laughter and mockery.
The author makes a distinction between the deserved joy felt by those who work to achieve virtue and the cruel, deep-seated, unjustified enjoyment of those who are incapable of trying to have any morality.
45. A false joy is often worth more than a sadness whose cause is true.
Knowing the truth is something valuable and the only way to know. However, it is necessary that we try to do good to others as well as to ourselves. Human beings sometimes choose to ignore the truth and sometimes this helps them to be happy, which can be of more value to the person.
46. The chief perfection of man consists in having free will, which is what makes him worthy of praise or censure.
Our ability to choose is, along with reason, what makes us human, free will being one of the things Descartes most defends in his treatment of morality.
47. As for logic, its syllogisms serve more to explain things already known to others than to learn
Logic may seem to be a valid way of incorporating new knowledge, but we cannot rely on uncontested assumptions rationally when acquiring new information since the logic of this could be different. However, it can be used to transmit what has already been learned to others.
48. It is enough to judge well in order to do well, and to judge as well as possible in order to act in the best way.
Descartes’ morality contemplates that in order to do good one must be able to correctly value the world and situations, allowing for better behavior.
49. If it is not in our power to discern the best opinions, we should follow the most probable ones.
Our knowledge is limited and we must act from reason to try to glimpse the truth. It may not be possible to distinguish which ones are more true, but at least we have to try to take into account those that have more glimpses of reality.
50. The most generous tend to be the most humble
For Descartes, humility and generosity are two aspects that are usually related, both of which are close to virtue.
51. I don’t even want to know if there was another man before me.
While it is unlikely to be the first person to exist, the truth is that we cannot have a clear record of it. I am me, and our own thoughts are the only thing we control. For many people who have been born before, there is only one self.
52. True intelligence consists in discovering the intelligence of others
Very often people consider themselves to be extremely intelligent, ignoring the fact that others also largely possess this faculty. To recognize that others possess a capacity that may even be superior to one’s own is in itself an act of true intelligence.
53. Our idea of God implies the necessary and eternal existence. Therefore, the manifest conclusion is that God exists
We are finite beings with finite capacities. The fact that we can conceptualize something infinite and omnipotent as God implies that at some point such knowledge has been put into our minds, knowledge which in itself demonstrates to Descartes the existence of God.
54. To improve our knowledge we must learn less and contemplate more
Accepting the things we are taught just like that does not serve to improve the quality of our knowledge . For them we have to focus on deconstructing what we have observed in order to make a construction from its most basic and objective parts as true as possible.
55. “Nature abhors a vacuum”
Although attributed to Aristotle, this phrase was also used by Descartes. In it the author refers to the identification of matter with space, the existence of a real void not being possible.
56. “The greatest good that can exist in a State is that of having true philosophers”
For Descartes, being able to reflect on and search for meaning in reality is an element that moves society forward.
57. “I appear in disguise”
In this sentence Descartes talks about appearance, which although it may appear to be real hides the real core of the being/thing/idea underneath it.
58. “We harbor a multitude of prejudices if we do not decide to doubt, at some time, all the things in which we find the least suspicion of uncertainty”
Again, the author refers in this sentence to the importance of doubting that which we do not know for ourselves, which can cause us to have prejudices that prevent us from seeing the truth.
59. “My only desire is to know the world and the comedies that are performed in it”
Curiosity, observation of different ways of doing and seeing the world and the search for knowledge go hand in hand in this sentence, which in turn implies a criticism of the uncritical assimilation of the dogmas and assumptions transmitted without trying to see if they are true or not.
60. “What little I have learned is worthless compared to what I do not know and I do not despair of learning”
The knowledge that we acquire throughout our lives is very limited, not being able to understand a large part of reality. It is reflected that all we know is actually tiny.
61. “Think before you act and do not start anything without having consulted the circumstances thoroughly”
In this sentence the author urges us to be prudent and not to rush into our actions.
62. “The first maxim of every citizen must be to obey the laws of his country, and in all other things to govern himself according to the most moderate opinions and those furthest from excess”
In this sentence Descartes indicates the need to follow the current legality and morality, as well as the adequacy of maintaining a balanced and rational position with respect to the events of life.
63. “I am used to sleeping and in my dreams imagining the same things that crazy people imagine when they are awake”
We all have at some point perceptions that may be distorted.
64. “To be incapable of enthusiasm is a sign of mediocrity”
The knowledge of reality can be a complex process, but at the same time it is an exciting one as you approach the understanding of certain aspects of the universe. Someone who is not able to be curious and motivated about something under normal circumstances is unlikely to stand out.
65. “To plunge into uncertainty and despair of the truth is a sad and miserable refuge from error”
Stopping looking for the truth is often a way to avoid recognizing that we are wrong or can be wrong.
66. “Dubito, ergo cogito”
The maxim “cogito, ergo sum” can be preceded by this sentence , taking into account that being able to doubt is a reflection of our capacity to think and reason (I doubt, then I think).
67. “We are only rational in the light of our species”
While the reason is for Descartes what differentiates us from animals, it is a property that is only observed by ourselves.
68. “Journeys serve to learn about the customs of different peoples and to shed the prejudice that only in one’s own country can one live in the manner to which one is accustomed”
Seeing other views of reality can serve to rethink one’s beliefs while teaching us that we can be ourselves anywhere.
69. “It should be noted that many beliefs are based on prejudice and tradition”
Prejudice and tradition are behind many behaviours that have no rational basis. It is necessary to examine one’s beliefs and give them meaning by working to increase one’s rationality.
70. “There is nothing so strange and so incredible that has not been said by one philosopher to another”
Most things we do and think have already been said or thought of by others. We should not be afraid to expose them.
71. “Traveling is almost the same as talking to people from other centuries”
Just like reading, traveling allows us to see new perspectives and styles of thinking that can help us to know reality.
72. “There is nothing older than the truth”
Opinions and beliefs are derived from the perception of certain patterns of stimuli and situations, patterns that do not have to be true. However, reality is always present, it is only necessary to find it.
73. “An optimist can see the light where there is none, but why should the pessimist always run to turn it off?”
Optimism and pessimism are different ways of looking at reality. But they do not have to be cancelled out, because through both ways of thinking knowledge can be accessed.
74. “Is the real thing cognizable, rational? Is not the universe something totally ungraspable by human reason, something essentially absurd, irrational, unknowable?
Descartes’ philosophy is mainly rational and mechanistic, but sometimes it is necessary to reflect and doubt whether the universe is really comprehensible to human beings.
75. “At last I am going to devote myself sincerely and without reservation to the general demolition of my opinions”
Like everyone else, Descartes had his own opinions about how the world worked and the different aspects that are part of it. His purpose with this sentence is to show the importance of going beyond the rational and ignoring possible prejudices that the senses might have instilled in him.
76. “It is better not to leave after a great search for the truth, because that only makes us feel miserable”
Descartes produced his philosophical work on the basis of truths that he believed to be fundamental and which, because they were so, explained little.
77. “Law, medicine, and other sciences bring riches to those who pursue them”
A sample of the esteem that this thinker felt for the disciplines related to formal thought.
There is a great difference between body and mind, for the body can be divided but the mind cannot”
Descartes is a paradigmatic example of dualism in philosophy .
79. “When you write about the transcendent, be transcendently clear”
One of Descartes’ phrases that emphasizes the use of systematized language.
80. “Our beliefs are based on our habits more than on any other knowledge”
As a philosopher, this author wanted to question much of what used to be considered common sense.
81. “Reason is nothing without imagination”
The imagination proposes hypotheses that reason puts to the test.
82. “Mathematics is the most powerful instrument of knowledge”
As is a formal system of thought , mathematics was considered by Descartes to be a search engine for true knowledge.
83. “Science is applied philosophy”
Everything is based on philosophy; the effort to examine concepts, ideas and beliefs.
84. “It is contrary to reason to say that there is a place of emptiness where nothing exists”
The concept of nothingness was problematic for Descartes.
85. “To develop the mind one must learn, rather than observe”
Drawing conclusions from what you see is something that must be done actively.