Pensées

American  

[pahn-seyz, pahn-, pahn-sey] / pɑnˈseɪz, pɑ̃-, pɑ̃ˈseɪ /

noun

1. a collection of notes, essays, etc., dealing with religious and philosophical matters by Blaise Pascal, published posthumously in 1670.

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Pensées Cultural  

1. A set of reflections on religion by Blaise Pascal (pensées is French for “thoughts”). This work contains the famous statement “The heart has its reasons that reason does not know.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Pensées

The machine was included in Christie's auction of the library of the late Catalonia collector Léon Parcé, which also featured Pascal's philosophical piece Pensées and the first printed version of "Pascal's wager".

From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025

This story was originally published on Pascal’s Pensées and has been republished here with permission.

From Slate ● Oct. 12, 2017

Thus there is a tragic antithesis in his character—an unresolved discord which shows itself again and again in his Pensées.

From Landmarks in French Literature by Giles Lytton Strachey

Mlle. de Montfiquet gave him a little book of "Pensées Chrétiennes," in which she had written her name; then, accompanied by her servant, she led him across the suburbs to Saint-Vigor-le-Grand.

From The House of the Combrays by G. Le Notre

The Pensées in their genuine form exhibit the thoughts to which this conflict of opinion gave rise in him, and are in remarkable contrast with the polished and sedate badinage of the letters.

From A Short History of French Literature by George Saintsbury