Rene Descartes Quotes
Rene Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist often called the father of modern philosophy. In the Meditations on First Philosophy he applied methodic doubt to establish a foundational certainty in the cogito, captured by the formula I think, therefore I am. The quotes below are attributed to Rene Descartes, organized by topic.
Rene Descartes on Knowledge
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.”
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.”
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“There is nothing so far removed from us as to be beyond our reach, or so hidden that we cannot discover it.”
Rene Descartes on Mind
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“I think, therefore I am.”
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.”
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“Cogito, ergo sum.”
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“Common sense is the most fairly distributed thing in the world, for each one thinks he is so well-endowed with it that even those who are hardest to satisfy in all other matters are not in the habit of desiring more of it than they already have.”
Rene Descartes on Truth
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.”
Rene Descartes on Virtue
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues.”
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“Conquer yourself rather than the world.”
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Attributed to Rene Descartes:
“Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it.”
Things actually not said by Rene Descartes
A number of widely-shared lines are circulated as Rene Descartes but are in fact from someone else. Did Rene Descartes say these? No. Each entry below pairs the line with the person who actually wrote it.
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Did Rene Descartes say this? No.
“Doubt is the origin of wisdom.”
Although widely attributed to Descartes — and consistent with the spirit of his methodic doubt — the Latin phrase 'Dubium sapientiae initium' has not been located in his published works or correspondence. The attribution appears to be a 19th-century or later summary of Cartesian method rather than a direct quotation.