“There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.”Blaise Pascal · Cugetări · 1670 · Lafuma 534 / Brunschvicg 534
Whoever doubts themselves is on the right path; whoever is sure of their own righteousness is not.
Pascal inverts a common intuition: the mark of virtue is not the conviction of being good, but the painful awareness of not being. Whoever knows their own deepest motives cannot be sure of their own righteousness; whoever lives without self-examination easily claims innocence. The mechanism is self-deception: a honest conscience doubts itself, a corrupted one congratulates itself. Someone who asks forgiveness after a quarrel shows more integrity than someone who walks away sure they were right.
Pascal also sheds light on how we judge others. If self-doubt is the mark of morality, then the person who readily spots someone else's fault while barely noticing their own is not a credible judge. Think of a colleague who publicly apologizes for being late, yet never sees when he keeps interrupting. This asymmetry tells us something: an eye that only looks outward becomes an instrument of accusation, not of understanding. Pascal suggests that fair judgment begins with turning the gaze inward before pointing it at others. But a question remains: how can you examine your own motives without falling into a new trap, that of taking pride precisely because you doubt yourself?
Why it matters It is useful for self-assessment: if you never doubt your own motives, that is a warning sign, not virtue. It helps you tell an honest conscience apart from self-indulgence.