1001Philosophers

Maurice Blondel Quotes

Maurice Blondel was a French Catholic philosopher and the principal architect of the philosophy of action. Long-time professor at Aix-en-Provence, he produced his foundational dissertation L'Action in 1893 and continued to develop and defend its central insight in a long series of works including the late trilogy Thought, Being, and Action. The quotes below are attributed to Maurice Blondel, organized by topic.

Maurice Blondel on God

  • Attributed to Maurice Blondel:

    “Every act, fully thought through, opens onto the absolute.”

  • Attributed to Maurice Blondel:

    “Action is the meeting place of God and the human.”

  • Attributed to Maurice Blondel:

    “The supernatural is the destiny of natural human aspiration.”

Maurice Blondel on Mind

  • Attributed to Maurice Blondel:

    “What we will is more than what we say we will.”

Maurice Blondel on Truth

  • Attributed to Maurice Blondel:

    “Truth is what we do, not just what we know.”