Tao Te Ching

“Pascal was born in 1623, and was recognized from an early age to be a genius. By 12 he had worked out the first 32 propositions of Euclid; he went on to invent the mathematics of probability, he measured atmospheric pressure, constructed a calculating machine, designed an omnibus, got tuberculosis and wrote the brilliant and pessimistic series of aphorisms in defense of Christian belief know as the Pensées.”

— Alain de Botton 1969 CE –
Philosophic link between ancient wisdom and modern challenge
from How Proust Can Change Your Life