Q0243
“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in…” — Blaise Pascal (Pensées §139)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Pensées §139. Theme: action.
English
All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Pensées §139 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
Philosophy of action asks how intentions, reasons, habits, and consequences hang together. Ethical traditions often insist that knowing the good is incomplete without doing it. This passage enters that discussion through action, self.
Concepts in this quote
- Action
- Action concerns agency: what it is to do something intentionally, and how thought becomes practice.
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Blaise Pascal. (n.d.). All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0243
MLA: Blaise Pascal. “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0243.
Chicago: Blaise Pascal. “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0243.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability…”?
The passage is attributed to Blaise Pascal, Pensées §139. The archive attributes this English wording to Pensées §139 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 action?
Philosophy of action asks how intentions, reasons, habits, and consequences hang together. Ethical traditions often insist that knowing the good is incomplete without doing it. This passage enters that discussion through action, self.