---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing is good but mediocrity. The…"
description: "\"Nothing is good but mediocrity. The majority has settled that, and finds fault with him who escapes it at whichever end... To leave the mean is to aban..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/blaise-pascal-167_abandon_nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-major_1826453.jpg"
---

#  Nothing is good but mediocrity. The majority has settled…

![“Nothing is good but mediocrity. The majority has settled that, and finds fault with him who escapes it at whichever end... To leave the mean is to abandon humanity.” quote by Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/blaise-pascal-167_abandon_nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-major_1826453.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/blaise-pascal-167_abandon_nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-major_1826453.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/blaise-pascal-167_abandon_nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-major_1826453.jpg)

> “Nothing is good but mediocrity. The majority has settled that, and finds fault with him who escapes it at whichever end... To leave the mean is to abandon humanity.”

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues that mediocrity is the norm, and those who reject it are seen as abandoning humanity.

**In simple terms:** Society accepts mediocrity; rejecting it is viewed as inhuman.

Key Takeaway

Challenge the status quo.

Themes

conformity human nature philosophy

Mood

critical thought‑provoking

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- social reform
- ethical debates
- creative pursuits

Key Concepts

existentialism social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What does 'abandoning humanity' mean to you?
- How can one resist mediocrity constructively?

A Different Perspective

May idealize nonconformity without practical pathways.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Abandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon/) [Abandon Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon-humanity-1399504/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Faults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faults/) [Good Mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-mediocrity-2237928/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Mean Abandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-abandon-2237929/) [Mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrity/) [Mediocrity Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrity-majority-495171/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/)

## Related quotes

> [“Nothing is good but mediocrity. The majority has settled that, and finds fault with him who escapes it at whichever end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-majority-has-settled-that-and-2/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Nothing is thoroughly approved but mediocrity. The majority has established this, and it fixes its fangs on whatever gets beyond it either way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nothing-is-thoroughly-approved-but-mediocrity-the-majority-has/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Nothing is as approved as mediocrity, the majority has established it and it fixes its fangs on whatever gets beyond it either way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nothing-is-as-approved-as-mediocrity-the-majority-has-established-it/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [“You can't change anything unless you can discard part of yourself too. To surpass monsters, you must be willing to abandon your humanity -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hajime-isayama/you-can-t-change-anything-unless-you-can-discard-part-of-yourself-too/)

[Hajime Isayama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hajime-isayama/)

> [The political solutions to the refugee crisis may be complex, but that does not mean we should abandon our humanity. We should not close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-viner/the-political-solutions-to-the-refugee-crisis-may-be-complex-but-that/)

[Katharine Viner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-viner/)

> [The thing I'm not good with is mediocrity, when someone isn't really trying to reach something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/the-thing-i-m-not-good-with-is-mediocrity-when-someone-isn-t-really/)

[Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/)

> [“To simply survive appears to be the choice of the plodding hoards that wander all around me. Therefore, I’ve adamantly committed to never hoard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-simply-survive-appears-to-be-the-choice-of-the-plodding-hoards/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [Mean-spirited mediocrities, especially those with a smattering of learning, are the most likely to be opinionated. Only strong minds know how to correct their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-de-souvre-marquise-de-sable/mean-spirited-mediocrities-especially-those-with-a-smattering-of/)

[Madeleine de Souvre, marquise de Sable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-de-souvre-marquise-de-sable/)

> [You always admire what you really dont understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/you-always-admire-what-you-really-dont-understand/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Mediocrity makes the most of its native possessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/mediocrity-makes-the-most-of-its-native-possessions/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [May God never abandon me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/may-god-never-abandon-me/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beerbohm/only-mediocrity-can-be-trusted-to-be-always-at-its-best/)

[Max Beerbohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beerbohm/)

> [It is an error common to many artists, who strive merely to avoid mistakes, when all our efforts should be to create positive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-steichen/it-is-an-error-common-to-many-artists-who-strive-merely-to-avoid/)

[Edward Steichen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-steichen/)

> [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

## More by Blaise Pascal

> [“Do they think that they have given us great pleasure by telling us that they hold our soul to be no more than wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/do-they-think-that-they-have-given-us-great-pleasure-by-telling-us/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [There should be in eloquence that which is pleasing and that which is real; but that which is pleasing should itself be real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-should-be-in-eloquence-that-which-is-pleasing-and-that-which-is/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [The method of not erring is sought by all the world. The logicians profess to guide it, the geometricians alone attain it, and apart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-method-of-not-erring-is-sought-by-all-the-world-the-logicians/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [When we read too fast or too slowly, we understand nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/when-we-read-too-fast-or-too-slowly-we-understand-nothing/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Mahomet established a religion by putting his enemies to death; Jesus Christ by commanding his followers to lay down their lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/mahomet-established-a-religion-by-putting-his-enemies-to-death-jesus/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Reflect on death as in Jesus Christ, not as without Jesus Christ. Without Jesus Christ it is dreadful, it is alarming, it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/reflect-on-death-as-in-jesus-christ-not-as-without-jesus-christ/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [The Stoics say, "Retire within yourselves; it is there you will find your rest." And that is not true. Others say, "Go out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-stoics-say-retire-within-yourselves-it-is-there-you-will-find/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Happiness can be found neither in ourselves nor in external things, but in God and in ourselves as united to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/happiness-can-be-found-neither-in-ourselves-nor-in-external-things/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Amusement that is excessive and followed only for its own sake, allures and deceives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/amusement-that-is-excessive-and-followed-only-for-its-own-sake/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Rivers are highways that move on and bear us whither we wish to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/rivers-are-highways-that-move-on-and-bear-us-whither-we-wish-to-go/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [We desire truth, and find within ourselves only uncertainty. We seek happiness, and find only misery and death. We cannot but desire truth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/we-desire-truth-and-find-within-ourselves-only-uncertainty-we-seek/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Vanity is illustrated in the cause and effect of love, as in the case of Cleopatra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/vanity-is-illustrated-in-the-cause-and-effect-of-love-as-in-the-case/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [“There is no denying it; one must admit that there is something astonishing about Christianity. 'It is because you were born in it,' they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-is-no-denying-it-one-must-admit-that-there-is-something/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [Imagination is the deceptive part in man, the mistress of error and falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/imagination-is-the-deceptive-part-in-man-the-mistress-of-error-and/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [The majority is the best way, because it is visible, and has strength to make itself obeyed. Yet it is the opinion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-majority-is-the-best-way-because-it-is-visible-and-has-strength/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

[Explore all 988 Blaise Pascal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

## More Abandon quotes

> [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/)

[Kenan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenan-malik/)

> [The purpose of a spirit filled life is to demonstrate the supernatural power of our living God so that the unsaved multitudes will abandon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-osborn/the-purpose-of-a-spirit-filled-life-is-to-demonstrate-the/)

[T.L. Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-osborn/)

> [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [I would leave at once, but it would be cruel to abandon a lady in a foreign land with a maniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-would-leave-at-once-but-it-would-be-cruel-to-abandon-a-lady-in-a/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/every-subjective-phenomenon-is-essentially-connected-with-a-single/)

[Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/)

> [Can you dissolve your ego? Can you abandon the idea of self and other? Can you relinquish the notions of male and female, short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/can-you-dissolve-your-ego-can-you-abandon-the-idea-of-self-and-other/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [Every great thing starts with an idea, followed by a doubt and finally a resolve to abandon or pursue. Victory is a treacherous journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/every-great-thing-starts-with-an-idea-followed-by-a-doubt-and-finally/)

[Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/)

> [Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/those-who-have-been-once-intoxicated-with-power-and-have-derived-any/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Don't give up because things are hard, but work harder, when you think of giving up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/don-t-give-up-because-things-are-hard-but-work-harder-when-you-think/)

[Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/)

> [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I care so deeply about this matter that I'm willing to take on the legal penalties, to sit in this prison cell, to sacrifice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-care-so-deeply-about-this-matter-that-i-m-willing-to-take-on-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/)

[Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/)

[Browse all 1,142 Abandon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandon/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nothing is good but mediocrity. The majority has settled that, and finds fault with him who escapes it at whichever end... To leave the mean is to abandon humanity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Blaise Pascal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-majority-has-settled-that-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Abandon"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-majority-has-settled-that-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/blaise-pascal-167_abandon_nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-major_1826453.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/blaise-pascal-167_abandon_nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-major_1826453.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/blaise-pascal-167_abandon_nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-major_1826453.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nothing is good but mediocrity. The majority has settled that, and finds fault with him who escapes it at…” — Blaise Pascal",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Blaise Pascal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nothing is good but mediocrity. The...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-majority-has-settled-that-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nothing-is-good-but-mediocrity-the-majority-has-settled-that-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
