Despair 3

True understanding is a bulwark against despair.

Despair 2

To give into despair is a desperate attempt to escape responsibility and to shift the blame for our shortcomings:

Man would fain be great and sees that he is little; would fain be happy and sees that he is miserable; would fain be perfect and sees that he is full of imperfections; would fain be the object of the love and esteem of men, and sees that his faults merit only their aversion and contempt.

The embarrassment wherein he finds himself produces in him the most unjust and criminal passions imaginable, for he conceives a mortal hatred against the truth which blames him and convinces him of his faults.

--Pascal, Pensees

Despair 1

Without true hope, despair transforms man from a noble, rational, and wise being into a degraded, irrational, and stupefied animal.

Aphorism 5

We often underestimate the power of our fear and overestimate the strength of our faith.

Aphorism 4

Ingratitude is the greatest of sins.

Aphorism 3

In order to achieve the ideal, there must be a solid foundation, a vigorous reality, which forcefully manifests itself moment after moment.

Aphorism 2

Beware of the arrogance and contempt that doesn’t respect nature and reality.