The full name of Voltaire is François-Marie Arouet. He was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Here we have shared Voltaire quotes on life, freedom, absurdities, government, education, love, democracy, history, power, politics.
Voltaire was born on 21 November 1694 Paris, Kingdom of France and died on 30 May 1778 Paris, Kingdom of France.
Voltaire Quotes
It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.
My life is a struggle.
Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.
When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.
“We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies – it is the first law of nature.”
“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”
“Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.”
“Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.”
“The secret of being a bore… is to tell everything.”
“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: ‘O Lord make my enemies ridiculous.’ And God granted it.”
“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.”
“Paradise was made for tender hearts; hell, for loveless hearts.”
“To hold a pen is to be at war.”
“In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to another.”
“All the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment of women.”
“There are truths which are not for all men, nor for all times.”
“It is said that the present is pregnant with the future.”
“A witty saying proves nothing.”
“What a heavy burden is a name that has become too famous.”
“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.”
“The true triumph of reason is that it enables us to get along with those who do not possess it.”
“The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.”
“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.”
“The Holy Roman Empire is neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.”
“God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best.”
“Injustice in the end produces independence.”
“If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.”
“It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind.”
“Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth.”
“The husband who decides to surprise his wife is often very much surprised himself.”
“The best is the enemy of the good.”
“Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes.”
“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.”
“It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.”
“It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self-love.”
“It is not enough to conquer; one must learn to seduce.”
“Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.”
“Tyrants have always some slight shade of virtue; they support the laws before destroying them.”
“I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom.”
“Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.”
“Prejudices are what fools use for reason.”
“It is vain for the coward to flee; death follows close behind; it is only by defying it that the brave escape.e”
“Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?”
“Friendship is the marriage of the soul, and this marriage is liable to divorce.”
“It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.”
“God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.”
“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”
“Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.”
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”
“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.”
“Illusion is the first of all pleasures.”
“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.”
“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”
“My life is a struggle.” – Voltaire
“Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.”
“When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.”
“Tears are the silent language of grief.”
“We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies – it is the first law of nature.”
“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”
“Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.”
“Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.”
“The secret of being a bore… is to tell everything.”
“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: ‘O Lord make my enemies ridiculous.’ And God granted it.”
“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.”
“Paradise was made for tender hearts; hell, for loveless hearts.”
“To hold a pen is to be at war.”
“In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to another.”
“All the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment of women.”
“There are truths which are not for all men, nor for all times.”
“It is said that the present is pregnant with the future.”
“A witty saying proves nothing.”
“What a heavy burden is a name that has become too famous.”
“Common sense is not so common.”
“To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth.”
“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”
“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”
“It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.”
“The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”
“Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.”
“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.”
“The true triumph of reason is that it enables us to get along with those who do not possess it.”
“The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.”
“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.”
“The Holy Roman Empire is neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.”
“God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best.”
“Injustice in the end produces independence.”
“If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.”
“It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind.”
“Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth.”
“The husband who decides to surprise his wife is often very much surprised himself.”
“The best is the enemy of the good.”
“Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes.”
“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.”
“It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.”
“It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self-love.”
“It is not enough to conquer; one must learn to seduce.”
“Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.”
“Tyrants have always some slight shade of virtue; they support the laws before destroying them.”
“I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom.”
“Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.”
“Prejudices are what fools use for reason.”
“It is vain for the coward to flee; death follows close behind; it is only by defying it that the brave escape.”
“Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?”
“Friendship is the marriage of the soul, and this marriage is liable to divorce.”
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