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Quotes by Voltaire

Voltaire, born François-Marie Arouet in 1694, was a towering figure of the Enlightenment, renowned for his wit, advocacy for civil liberties, and relentless critique of societal norms. His prolific writings, including "Candide" and "Philosophical Letters," championed reason and freedom of expression while challenging the established religious and political order. A tireless defender of individual rights, Voltaire's legacy endures as a symbol of intellectual bravery, inspiring generations to question authority and embrace the transformative power of ideas. His life reminds us that reason and tolerance are vital to a just society.

Learn more in our Tiny Panda blog post about Voltaire, then hop back to their quotes or the Tiny Panda blog on this site.

40 quotes found

"What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy."

Voltaire

"The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease."

Voltaire

"It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it."

Voltaire

"Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exist without a cause."

Voltaire

"To hold a pen is to be at war."

Voltaire

"Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?"

Voltaire

"Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe."

Voltaire

"To believe in God is impossible not to believe in Him is absurd."

Voltaire

"It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere."

Voltaire

"Man is free at the moment he wishes to be."

Voltaire

"Friendship is the marriage of the soul, and this marriage is liable to divorce."

Voltaire

"The superfluous, a very necessary thing."

Voltaire

"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well."

Voltaire

"I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it."

Voltaire

"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him."

Voltaire

"All men are born with a nose and five fingers, but no one is born with a knowledge of God."

Voltaire

"Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do."

Voltaire

"Better is the enemy of good."

Voltaire

"In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to another."

Voltaire

"The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination."

Voltaire

"Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination."

Voltaire

"Injustice in the end produces independence."

Voltaire

"Common sense is not so common."

Voltaire

"The ear is the avenue to the heart."

Voltaire

"Divorce is probably of nearly the same date as marriage. I believe, however, that marriage is some weeks the more ancient."

Voltaire

"When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion."

Voltaire

"It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind."

Voltaire

"Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us."

Voltaire

"Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth."

Voltaire

"To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth."

Voltaire

"He who is not just is severe, he who is not wise is sad."

Voltaire

"He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise."

Voltaire

"Tears are the silent language of grief."

Voltaire

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."

Voltaire

"All the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment of women."

Voltaire

"We must cultivate our own garden. When man was put in the garden of Eden he was put there so that he should work, which proves that man was not born to rest."

Voltaire

"It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one."

Voltaire

"What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature."

Voltaire

"One merit of poetry few persons will deny: it says more and in fewer words than prose."

Voltaire

"The safest course is to do nothing against one's conscience. With this secret, we can enjoy life and have no fear from death."

Voltaire