The Provincial Letters Quotes

“I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter."

(Letter 16, 1657)”
― Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters

“I made this [letter] very long, because I did not have the leisure to make it shorter.”
― Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters

“I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.”
― Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters

“If I had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter.”
― Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters

“It is only by examining a book that we can ascertain what words it contains.”
― Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters

“Reverend Fathers, my letters do not customarily follow one another so closely, nor are they usually so extensive. The little time I have had has caused both. I have made this one longer only because I have not had the leisure of making it shorter.”
― Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters

“It was to equally little purpose that you obtained against Galileo a decree from Rome condemning his opinion respecting the motion of the earth. It will never be proved by such an argument as this that the earth remains stationary; and if it can be demonstrated by sure observation that it is the earth and not the sun that revolves, the efforts and arguments of all mankind put together will not hinder our planet from revolving, nor hinder themselves from revolving along with her.”
― Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters