I think where we are not seeing eye-to-eye is our interpretation of his words. I don't take them to be hyperbole, given that he died practicing what he preached. He was an extreme ascetic who overcame his biological desires, including the very desire to survive. In one sense, that kind of mastery is an impressive feat. But I don't think that kind of mastery is beneficial to humanity or that people should strive to achieve the suppression of all their desires, including their will to survive.

The second quote does not comport with Pascal, because Pascal was not advocating for a path that led to internal happiness, but rather the abandonment of the desire for happiness altogether. He believed that suffering on Earth was the purpose of being Christian and would lead to salvation through God.