Blaise Pascal wrote a lot about the passing of time, the present.
In particular, Blaise Pascal shows that man never keeps to the present time, but on the contrary he loses himself in the past, in the future; all the thoughts of man thus diverted from the present do not allow to make man happy, because he is unceasingly preoccupied by other times.
All the thoughts of the man thus diverted from the present do not allow him to make the man happy, because he is unceasingly preoccupied by other times. To this expression, time, all carry the thought towards the same object: what is enough to make that this term does not need to be defined, although afterwards, by examining what it is that time, one comes to differ from feeling after having started to think about it.
Pascal, on the Geometric Mind, section I
how many people there are who believe they have a defined time when they say that it is the measure of motion, while leaving it its ordinary meaning.
Pascal, On the Geometric Mind, section I
We never keep to the present time.
Pascal, Thoughts
It is that the present, usually, hurts us. We hide it from our sight, because it distresses us.
Pascal, Thoughts
Let each one examines his thoughts, he will find them all occupied with the past and the future. We hardly think about the present.
Pascal, Thoughts
The present is never our end: the past and the present are our means; the future alone is our end.
Pascal, Thoughts
Thus we never live, but we hope to live; and, always preparing ourselves to be happy, it is inevitable that we will never be happy.
Pascal, Thoughts
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