55 Best René Descartes Quotes About Philosophy, Math, and Science

René Descartes was a creative mathematician, a natural philosopher, an author, and the original metaphysician as well.

René Descartes contributed to analytic geometry and is also known for elucidating on the mind-body problem. He challenged the experiential school of thought by proving that our minds can think due to the existence of God.

Descartes was the author of several books during the Dutch golden age, namely - 'Discourse On The Method', 'Principles Of Philosophy' and 'Treatise Of Man'. He is also the author of, and is known for his most famous catchphrase, "Cogito, ergo sum" which means "I think, therefore I am". He also thought the mind to be independent of the body and believed in innate consciousness. This French man was the father of skepticism which leaves nothing and no one from questioning - all things and phenomena must be questioned. This article will list some of the best Rene Descartes quotes on all the subjects he has written on and is the author of. You can definitely use any Rene Descartes quotes for your quote of the day posts on social media in your daily life.

If you liked this article on Rene Descartes's quotes, make sure you check out the other articles with [Carl Rogers quotes] and Kant quotes as well.

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The French mathematician Descartes apart from his well known quote "Cogito ergo sum" or "I think, therefore, I am". René Descartes quotes on god also makes us think. He is the author of the book 'Meditations on First Philosophy'. René Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy quotes are also significant. You can use René Descartes mind and body quotes or his rationalism quotes which include his dualism quotes for your quote of the day.

1. "To live without philosophizing is in truth the same as keeping the eyes closed without attempting to open them."

- Descartes.

2. "There is nothing so strange and so unbelievable that it has not been said by one philosopher or another."

- Descartes.

3. "In order to seek truth, it is necessary once in the course of our life to doubt, as far as possible, of all things."

- Descartes.

4. "Truths will be discovered by an individual rather than a whole people."

- Descartes.

5. "The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt."

- Descartes.

6. "One cannot conceive anything so strange and so implausible that it has not already been said by one philosopher or another."

- Descartes.

7. "We do not describe the world we see, we see the world we can describe."

- Descartes.

8. "Because reason is the only thing that makes us men, and distinguishes us from the beasts, I would prefer to believe that it exists, in its entirety, in each of us."

- Descartes.

9. "To live without philosophizing is in truth the same as keeping the eyes closed without attempting to open them."

- Descartes.

10. "It is in the nature of our mind to construct general propositions on the basis of our knowledge of particular ones."

- Descartes.

11. "Our convictions result from custom and example very much more than from any knowledge that is certain."

- Descartes.

12. "There is nothing more ancient than the truth."

- Descartes.

13. "When it is not in our power to follow what is true, we ought to follow what is most probable."

- Descartes.

14. "An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?"

- Descartes.

15. "I could not possibly be of such a nature as I am, and yet have in my mind the idea of a God, if God did not in reality exist."

- Descartes.

16. "'God' created both myself and everything else."

- Descartes.

17. "By 'God', I understand, a substance which is infinite, independent, supremely intelligent, supremely powerful."

- Descartes.

18. "The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of past centuries."

- Descartes.

19. "When I was examining what I was, I realized that I could pretend that I had no body... but I could not pretend in the same way that I did not exist."

- Descartes.

If you want to read famous philosopher quotes, you should read quotes from French mathematician René Descartes. Famous René Descartes quotes include his works which were published during the Dutch Republic. He wrote about life, power and even confessed that he made every mistake but he did not leave the subject. So he said "You just keep pushing. I made every mistake that could be made."

20. "With me, everything turns into mathematics."

- Descartes.

21. "I paid special attention to Arithmetic and Geometry."

- Descartes.

22. "But in my opinion, all things in nature occur mathematically."

- Descartes.

23. "The two operations of our understanding, intuition and deduction, on which alone we have said we must rely in the acquisition of knowledge."

- Descartes.

24. "Perfect numbers like perfect men are very rare."

- Descartes.

25. "These long chains of perfectly simple and easy reasonings by means of which geometers are accustomed to carry out their most difficult demonstrations had led me to fancy that everything that can fall under human knowledge forms a similar sequence."

- Descartes.

26. "Mathematics is a more powerful instrument of knowledge than any other that has been bequeathed to us by human agency."

- Descartes.

27. "Among all those who up to this time made discoveries in the sciences, it was the mathematicians alone who had been able to arrive at demonstrations."

- Descartes.

28. "For me, everything in nature is mathematics."

- Descartes.

29. "If we possessed a thorough knowledge of all the parts of the seed of any animal, we could from that alone deduce the whole conformation and figure of each of its members."

- Descartes.

30. "Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems."

- Descartes.

The French scientist thought mind the main thing and one of the most important things to use apart from common sense. The mathematician also said reading of all good books was like having conversation with the finest people. Regarding mistakes, he also said that "You just keep pushing. I made every mistake that could be made."

31. "If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things."

- Descartes.

32. "We never understand a thing so well, and make it our own, as when we have discovered it for ourselves."

- Descartes.

33. "Everything is self-evident."

- Descartes.

34. "If I found any new truths in the sciences, I can say that they follow from, or depend on, five or six principal problems which I succeeded in solving and which I regard as so many battles where the fortunes of war were on my side."

- Descartes.

35. "It is true that medicine as it is currently practiced contains little of much use."

- Descartes.

36. "Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."

- Descartes.

37. "Give me extension and motion and I will construct the universe."

- Descartes.

These Rene Descartes quotes will show how he was a brilliant author who thought common sense is one of the most important qualities to put to use and his quotes tell us to use it well. These quotes from René Descartes explain why he said "I think, therefore I am."

38. "The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues."

- Descartes.

39. "Doubt everything."

- Descartes.

40. "The chief cause of human errors is to be found in the prejudices picked up in childhood."

- Descartes.

41. "I hope that posterity will judge me kindly, not only as to the things which I have explained, but also to those which I have intentionally omitted so as to leave to others the pleasure of discovery."

- Descartes.

42. "Conquer yourself rather than the world."

- Descartes.

43. "I am accustomed to sleep and in my dreams to imagine the same things that lunatics imagine when awake."

- Descartes.

44. "Illusory joy is often worth more than genuine sorrow."

- Descartes.

45. "But possibly I am something more than I suppose myself to be."

- Descartes.

46. "To know what people really think, pay attention to what they do, rather than what they say."

- Descartes.

47. "When writing about transcendental issues, be transcendentally clear."

- Descartes.

48. "Except our own thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power."

- Descartes.

49. "I am indeed amazed when I consider how weak my mind is and how prone to error."

- Descartes.

50. "Traveling is almost like talking with those of other centuries."

- Descartes.

51. "It is only prudent never to place complete confidence in that by which we have even once been deceived."

- Descartes.

52. "I also considered how the same person, with the same mind, who was brought up from infancy either among the French or the Germans, becomes different from what they would have been if they had always lived among the Chinese or among the cannibals."

- Descartes.

53. "It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well."

- Descartes.

54. "Even the mind depends so much on temperament and the disposition of one’s bodily organs that, if it is possible to find a way to make people generally wiser and more skillful than they have been in the past, I believe that we should look for it in medicine."

- Descartes.

55. "Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it."

- Descartes.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Rene Descartes quotes then why not take a look at Sigmund Freud quotes or Ludwig Wittgenstein quotes.

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