Cogito ergo sum is a Latin philosophical proposition by René Descartes usually translated into English as "I think, therefore I am". The phrase originally appeared in French as je pense, donc je suis in his Discourse on the Method, so as to reach a wider audience than Latin would have allowed. It appeared in Latin in his later Principles of Philosophy. As Descartes explained, "[W]e cannot doubt of our existence while we doubt … ." A fuller form, dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum("I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am"), aptly captures Descartes' intent.
This proposition became a fundamental element of Western philosophy, as it purported to form a secure foundation for knowledge in the face of radical doubt. While other knowledge could be a figment of imagination, deception, or mistake, Descartes asserted that the very act of doubting one's own existence served—at minimum—as proof of the reality of one's own mind; there must be a thinking entity—in this case the self—for there to be a thought. Wikipedia Link
I subscribe to this theory personally, so as far as a personal philosophy can be considered a "fact" this statement has a well considered and thoughtful support for it to be considered a factual statement.
I wish I could have made this long story short, but there you have it.
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