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Pensées (Penguin Classics) Paperback – December 1, 1995

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 545 ratings

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Blaise Pascal, the precociously brilliant contemporary of Descartes, was a gifted mathematician and physicist, but it is his unfinished apologia for the Christian religion upon which his reputation now rests. The Penseés is a collection of philosohical fragments, notes and essays in which Pascal explores the contradictions of human nature in pscyhological, social, metaphysical and - above all - theological terms. Mankind emerges from Pascal's analysis as a wretched and desolate creature within an impersonal universe, but who can be transformed through faith in God's grace. 

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Blaise Pascal was born in Clermont in 1623, the son of a government official. During his short life he left his mark on mathematics, physics, religious controversy and literature. A convert to Jansenism, he engaged with gusto in a controversy with the Jesuits, which gave rise to his Lettres Provincialeson which, with the Pensées, his literary fame chiefly rests. A remarkable stylist, he is regarded by many as the greatest of French prose artists. He died, after a long illness, in 1662.

Dr. A.J. Krailsheimer
was born in 1921 and was Tutor in French at Christ Church, Oxford, from 1957 until his retirement in 1988. His publications are Studies in Self-Interest (1963), Rabelais and the Franciscans (1965), Three Conteurs of the Sixteenth Century (1966), Rabelais (1967), A. J. de Rancé, Abbot of La Trappe (1974), Pascal (1980), Conversion (1980), Letters of A. J. de Rancé (1984), Rancé and the Trappist Legacy (1985) and Correspondance de Rancé (1993). He has also translated Flaubert’s Bouvard and Pécuchet and Salammbo and Pascal’s The Provincial Letters for the Penguin Classics.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Reissue edition (December 1, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140446451
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140446456
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.82 x 5.08 x 0.87 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 545 ratings

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4.5 out of 5 stars
545 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking and relevant. They describe it as an interesting read for a brilliant mind by a brilliant writer. The writing style is thoughtful and generous in developing new ideas. Readers appreciate the table of contents and helpful introduction. They consider the book timeless and a classic.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

15 customers mention "Thought provoking"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and relevant. They appreciate Pascal's profound insights into the human condition and spirituality. The book is a classic of Christian thought that helps readers understand the power of God in their lives and what they need to do to return to God.

"...Based on Pascal's beliefs and life, it seems great science, great thought, and belief in God are totally compatible." Read more

"...It's a book from a man that thought long and hard about faith...." Read more

"...very clever and witty and will give you many pleasant days and evenings of thought provoking insights into the human character." Read more

"The book made a great case for Christianity and Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! I was very surprised! I would highly recommend this book!" Read more

14 customers mention "Readability"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it's a classic and ideal for reading in short sessions, as each paragraph is worth thinking about.

"This is a classic. His thoughts about the evidence for God are especially interesting...." Read more

"Item arrived just as indicated... great condition... great content in the book." Read more

"A good read for a brilliant mind by a brilliant writer in the history of humanity." Read more

"...book ideal to read in short sessions because each paragraph is worth thinking about at length. It is the perfect addition to my flush-tank library." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing style"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing style. They find it thoughtful and generous in developing new ideas. The writing is described as brilliant, witty, and clever.

"I am focused on this one section (p. 324 -326) as it is so brilliantly written and describes the varying degrees of self-love -- it grabbed me from..." Read more

"...It is very topical for our times and quite current. He is very clever and witty and will give you many pleasant days and evenings of thought..." Read more

"I liked it that is was very thoughtful and generous in development of new ideas and even old ones" Read more

"He was one of history's more interesting, thoughtful and mufti-faceted characters...." Read more

4 customers mention "Table of contents"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the table of contents and standard paragraph breaks. They find the book organized and a good addition to their personal library. The 32-page introduction is helpful.

"...It does have a descriptive Table of Contents which is accessible directly from the menu, cover art, and better formatting, though I would prefer a..." Read more

"...It's clear and (I think) accurate. I like the way it is organized. The 32 page introduction is very helpful...." Read more

"An addition to personal library, do not know when chance will arise to read as seminary still requires another year of reading, no time for personal..." Read more

"...It is the perfect addition to my flush-tank library." Read more

3 customers mention "Age of book"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's age. They say it's a classic and timeless.

"Read many years ago. enjoyed seeing it again" Read more

"Pascal is timeless. The Pensees will continue to be relevant, and is especially relevant today." Read more

"Best edition of this classic book." Read more

3 customers mention "Art quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's art quality. They mention it summarizes the author's brilliance and beauty. The font size is standard, and the cover art is magnificent.

"...and wager just mentoned, though only snippets, do summarize his brilliance and his beauty...." Read more

"...Table of Contents which is accessible directly from the menu, cover art, and better formatting, though I would prefer a blank space before each..." Read more

"Always magnificent..." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2024
    This is a classic. His thoughts about the evidence for God are especially interesting.
    Based on Pascal's beliefs and life, it seems great science, great thought, and belief in God are totally compatible.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2024
    I am focused on this one section (p. 324 -326) as it is so brilliantly written and describes the varying degrees of self-love -- it grabbed me from the 1st sentence. It explains why we are out of harmony with our fellow human beings (and they, with us).
    It is universally true and comforting as Pascal enlightens and gives true understanding of man's wretched state.

    (I thought to myself after reading it, "What is the answer to mankind's varying degrees of selfishness, as outlined by Pascal, and the answer is to ponder the life of the most perfect human being who ever lived and try to follow His commands and try to live life according to His teachings, i.e., "the Sermon on the Mount.")

    Romans, Chapter 8, in the New Testament discusses the carnal [or natural] mind which is "enmity against God." What you have in Pascal's "Self-Love" is the sad and hopeless picture of the natural man and why the natural man can never know peace, but only discontent. The answer is to be spiritually minded which is "life and peace." (NKJV)
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2005
    Before actually reading "Pensees," I knew Blaise Pascal and his "Pensees" only from snippets of quotes such as, "The heart has its reason of which reason knows nothing" and from "Pascal's Wager": better to risk believing in God and living with Him for all eternity and being wrong, then risk not believing in God and living apart from Him in all eternity and because you were wrong.

    Having read him, I know now that the quote and wager just mentoned, though only snippets, do summarize his brilliance and his beauty. Like few others, Pascal fuses head and heart in his defense of Christianity. His ability is likely due to his brilliant mind that on November 23, 1654, from 10:30 PM to 12:30 AM encountered God in a mysterious, mystical experience that he could only describe with the one-word epitaph: "Fire."

    For the rest of his brief life (he died at age 39), the fire in his soul and the genius of his mind merged in the "writing" of "Pensees." I place "writing" in quotation marks because Pascal's early death never allowed him to finish "Pensees." What we have is akin to his outline (though 325 pages in length!). Imagine if he had actually finished it. Pascal, ever the absent-minded professor, would have a thought run through his mind, write it down, cut it in a strip, and splice it in with other similar subject headings.

    It's helpful to understand this before reading "Pensee" for what you find is brilliant disorder--an incomplete sentence here, half a thought there, then long and insightful paragraphs here. In other words, you do need to wade through the unusual design of the book, but in the wading you will find oceans of depth that flood both your heart and your head with passion and reason to love and know God.

    Pascal's "real world" arguments for God are the most rationally and personally compelling ones that I have ever read. Pascal honestly faces the reality that we see God only in part and that by evidence alone, whether of reason or nature or both, we might just as well conclude that there is no God (the atheists), or that He is not loving, or not powerful, or that He is disinterested (Deism), or dispassionate (the Greek philosophers). He then explains that God reveals enough in nature to cause us to perceive His existence and to perceive that we are finite and fallen. Nature, according to Pascal, points more to the Mediator--Christ--the One who reveals the hidden God as a God of holiness and love, and the One who reveals us as God's prodigal children who need to come home.

    Reviewer: Dr. Robert W. Kellemen is the author of "Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," and the forthcoming "Sacred Companions: A History of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."
    73 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2009
    Update: May 2012

    In revisiting the Kindle editions of Pensees, I've discovered that there is now a Kindle version of the Penguin Classics edition. This version is the one translated by A. J. Krailsheimer. It also contains the Introduction written by Mr. Kreilsheimer which gives what appears to be an excellent background of the work. (I haven't read it yet.)

    The formatting is generally good. It uses Kindle standard fonts. Each note is visually separated from the one before it. It contains active links to footnotes. The table of contents is very good. It also uses standard paragraph breaks. (No blank line between, and first line indented.) Unfortunately, the left margin wanders left and right. (I've seen this on a few other books, so I'm not sure it's the publisher's fault.)

    This is the edition I was hoping to find when I first wrote the review. I recommend it.

    ----------

    Warning! If you reached this Kindle edition by way of the edition published by Penguin Classics, be aware that this Kindle edition (by Douglas Editions) of Pensees is not the same book. The Penguin version was translated by A. J. Krailsheimer, while this Kindle edition was translated by W. F. Trotter.

    In my opinion, the Trotter translation is far weaker than the Krailsheimer translation, or any other translation I've checked. For example, consider these two translations of this thought:

    "How is it that a lame man does not annoy us while a lame mind does? Because a lame man recognizes that we are walking straight, while a lame mind says that it is we who are limping."
    --from A. J. Krailsheimer's translation

    "How comes it that a cripple does not offend us, but that a fool does? Because a cripple recognises [sic] that we walk straight, whereas a fool declares that it is we who are silly;"
    --from W. F. Trotter's translation

    All the other translations I've compared these sentences to are far closer to the Krailsheimer translation than Trotter's. Unfortunately, all the Kindle editions of Pensees (as of this writing) are the Trotter translation. So all that's left is to compare the differences of the Kindle editions.

    The rest of this review is based on the sample of the Douglas Editions version. This one has a table of contents, but it's not very good. All it lists is "Section 1", "Section 2", and so forth instead of descriptive names. It's also not linked directly from the menu, so you have to go to the cover then the next page to get to it. Footnotes are not active links.

    I also noticed that there is a blank space between each paragraph. It doesn't really bother me, but I'm mentioning it anyway in case it bothers you.

    Otherwise, this is a pretty vanilla Kindle edition. The font size is standard. (Some Kindle editions aren't.) There don't seem to be any flaws beyond what I mentioned. There's also no introduction or cover art.

    It seems that this review will also show up under the Kindle edition I did buy. That's the version of Pensées by Christian Classics Ethereal Library. It does have a descriptive Table of Contents which is accessible directly from the menu, cover art, and better formatting, though I would prefer a blank space before each numbered section. But it's still the Trotter translation, so I would give it only 3 stars.
    40 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Marcos Luz
    5.0 out of 5 stars What an extraordinary book we have here...
    Reviewed in Brazil on October 9, 2024
    Blaise Pascal’s reflections in *Pensées* offer profound insights into human nature, our pursuit of happiness, and the traps of distraction. His exploration of how we live either in the past or the future, never fully embracing the present, is particularly striking: "So we never live, but we hope to live; and, as we are always preparing to be happy, it is inevitable we should never be so." This resonates deeply with modern life, where we constantly chase fulfillment in future promises, neglecting the present moment.

    Pascal's thoughts on correcting others are both practical and deeply humane. He argues that to effectively show someone their error, we must first acknowledge the truth in their perspective, for “on that side it is usually true.” This approach not only disarms defensiveness but also fosters understanding.

    His warnings about distractions, especially the theatre, being "dangerous to the Christian life," challenge us to consider the influence of entertainment on our spiritual well-being. Pascal’s commentary on merit, where he observes that people tend to claim achievements as solely their own when, in reality, much is owed to others, humbles the individualistic pride we often find in creative and intellectual endeavors.

    Pascal’s examination of why we get angry when our reasoning is questioned, but not when told we have a headache, is both humorous and insightful. "We are not so sure that we make a true choice," he says, highlighting the fragility of human certainty.

    Lastly, his thoughts on how the will influences belief—where "things are true or false according to the aspect in which we look at them"—speak to the modern issue of confirmation bias and how we often see only what we wish to see.

    Overall, *Pensées* is a timeless exploration of the human condition, offering wisdom that challenges both mind and soul. Five stars without hesitation.
  • Maura
    5.0 out of 5 stars un classico
    Reviewed in Italy on January 8, 2025
    un classico da leggere
  • Siddharth Verma
    2.0 out of 5 stars Price high
    Reviewed in India on August 10, 2023
    Price is too high for this kind of print.
  • JoelC
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is a classic for a reason
    Reviewed in Canada on November 19, 2017
    I enjoyed Pascal's thoughts and these are fairly bite sized which is nice for short reading sessions. Although there are some deep waters here, most of the thoughts felt accessible for the layperson.
  • Chevallier
    5.0 out of 5 stars 👍🏻
    Reviewed in Germany on January 28, 2020
    👌🏼