Q0059
“The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know.” — Blaise Pascal (Pensées §200 (Brunschvicg))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Pensées §200 (Brunschvicg). Theme: beauty.
English
The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Pensées §200 (Brunschvicg) and files it under Christian Existential Precursor. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and Christian apologist who invented an early calculator and advanced probability and fluid mechanics. After a decisive religious conversion, he defended Jansenism in the Provincial Letters and left unfinished Pensées.
How to read this passage
Aesthetics asks what beauty is, how taste is educated, and how art discloses truth or shapes moral perception. This passage enters that discussion through beauty, reason.
Concepts in this quote
- Beauty
- Beauty raises questions about judgment, form, pleasure, and whether aesthetic value is subjective or shares standards.
- Reason
- Reason is the capacity to give and assess reasons—central to logic, science, ethics, and public argument.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Blaise Pascal. (n.d.). The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0059
MLA: Blaise Pascal. “The heart has its reasons, which reason does….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0059.
Chicago: Blaise Pascal. “The heart has its reasons, which reason does….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0059.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The heart has its reasons, which reason does…”?
The passage is attributed to Blaise Pascal, Pensées §200 (Brunschvicg). The archive attributes this English wording to Pensées §200 (Brunschvicg) and files it under Christian Existential Precursor. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Blaise Pascal mean by beauty?
Aesthetics asks what beauty is, how taste is educated, and how art discloses truth or shapes moral perception. This passage enters that discussion through beauty, reason.