I have a choice: either first I believe God exists, or second I do not believe God exists.

First, if I believe God exists, and God in fact does exist, then I will gain infinite happiness. However, if I believe God exists, and God in fact does not exist, then I will have no payoff.

Second, if I do not believe God exists, and God in fact does exist, then I will gain infinite pain. However, if I believe God does not exist, and God in fact does not exist, then I will have no payoff.

Thus, I have everything to gain and nothing to lose by believing in God, and I have everything to lose and nothing to gain by not believing in God. On these grounds, one would be foolish not to believe.

– Blaise Pascal:  French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, Catholic writer, and after whom the Pascal programming language was named.