Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Man is neither angel nor beast, and misfortune makes those who try to be angels become beasts.
In plain terms
Human beings are not pure; misfortune turns aspiring angels into beasts.
What can you take from it?
Adversity can corrupt even noble intentions.

Where it applies

  • moral dilemmas
  • stressful situations

Putting it to work

  • cultivating resilience
  • maintaining ethical standards under pressure

Questions to consider

  • What protects virtue during hardship?
  • How does misfortune reveal true character?

Another view

Not everyone succumbs; some retain virtue despite hardship.

More from Blaise Pascal

  1. Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte.

    Permalink to quote #3
  2. Qu'est-ce donc que nous crie cette avidite et cette impuissance, sinon qu'il y a eu autrefois en l'homme un veritable bonheur dont il ne lui reste maintenant q…

    Permalink to quote #5
  3. Entre nous, et l'enfer ou le ciel, il n'y a que la vie entre deux, qui est la chose du monde la plus fragile.

    Permalink to quote #2

Related quotes

  1. A man always assumes that others are as virtuous as himself

    Orson Scott CardOrson Scott Card quote #505
  2. In men whom men condemn as ill I find so much of goodness still. In men whom men pronounce divine I find so much of sin and blot I do not dare to draw a line B…

    Joaquin MillerJoaquin Miller quote #3
  3. Egoisten sind wir alle, der eine mehr, der andere weniger. Der eine lasst seinen Egoismus nackend laufen, der andere hangt ihm ein Mantelchen um.

    August von KotzebueAugust von Kotzebue quote #4