DISCOURSE ON METHOD. 29 



conviction that I could not do better than continue 

 in that in which I was engaged, viz., in devoting 

 my whole life to the culture of my Reason, and in 

 making the greatest progress I was able in the 

 knowledge of truth, on the principles of the Method 

 which I had prescribed to myself. This Method, 

 from the time I had begun to apply it, had been to 

 me the source of satisfaction so intense as to lead 

 me to believe that more perfect or more innocent 

 could not be enjoyed in this life ; and as by its means 

 I daily discovered truths that appeared to me of 

 some importance, and of which other men were 

 generally ignorant, the gratification thence arising 

 so occupied my mind that I was wholly indifferent 

 to every other object. Besides, the three preceding 

 maxims were founded singly on the design of con 

 tinuing the work of self-instruction. For since God 

 has endowed each of us with some Light of Reason 

 by which to distinguish truth from error, I could not 

 have believed that I ought for a single moment to 

 rest satisfied with the opinions of another, unless I 

 had resolved to exercise my own judgment in 

 examining these whenever I should be duly quali 

 fied for the task. Nor could I have proceeded on 

 such opinions without scruple, had I supposed that I 

 should thereby forfeit any advantage for attaining 

 still more accurate, should such exist. And, in fine, 

 I could not have restrained my desires, nor 

 remained satisfied, had I not followed a path in 

 which I thought myself certain of attaining all the 

 knowledge to the acquisition of which I was compe 

 tent, as well as the largest amount of what is truly 



