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Cogito, ergo sum
Meaning
Usually translated from the Latin as 'I think, therefore I am'.
Origin
Possibly the best known of all philososophical quotations; this is from the French philosopher René Descartes in his Discourse on Method (1637), where he attempted to prove his existence as a thinking being, by thinking. 'I think, therefore I am' comes to us in English via two translations. Descartes' original statement in French was "Je pense, donc je suis".
This is such a well-known line that it has spawned humourous alternatives, not least:
"I'm pink, therefore I'm spam"
"René Descartes was a drunken fart - I drink therefore I am".