Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, essayist and philosopher. He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and free trade, and he wrote extensively on the subjects of politics, religion and science. He is perhaps best known for his biting satire and wit, which he used to criticize the Catholic Church and the French government of his time. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Voltaire on life, government, human nature.
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Voltaire Quotes About Life
Voltaire Quotes About Government
Voltaire Quotes About Human Nature
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Voltaire Quotes About Enlightened
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Top 10 Voltaire Quotes
If you want to know who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize.
The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else's eyes.
Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.
Give me the patience for the small things of life, courage for the great trials of life. Help me to do my best each day and then go to sleep knowing God is awake.
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.
In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to another.
The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.
Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.
It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.
The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.
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Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.
It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere. — Voltaire
The best is the enemy of good.
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong. — Voltaire
Prejudices are what fools use for reason. — Voltaire
It is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one.
God created sex. Priests created marriage. — Voltaire
Common sense is not so common.
Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said. — Voltaire
The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor. — Voltaire
The darkness is at its deepest. Just before the sunrise. — Voltaire
Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers.
Common sense is not so common. — Voltaire
Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too. — Voltaire
Dare to think for yourself. — Voltaire
If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him. — Voltaire
We are all guilty of the good we did not do — Voltaire
Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?
He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise. — Voltaire
Dont think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money.
Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.
The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.
The darkness is at its deepest. Just before the sunrise.
Common sense is not so common.
The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us
Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.
Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.
Voltaire Quotes About Life
When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. Tecumseh Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. — Voltaire
If there’s life on other planets, then the earth is the Universe’s insane asylum. — Voltaire
God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well. — Voltaire
We must cultivate our own garden.
A minister of state is excusable for the harm he does when the helm of government has forced his hand in a storm; but in the calm he is guilty of all the good he does not do. — Voltaire
The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude. — Voltaire
Man is free at the instant he wants to be. — Voltaire
My life is a struggle. — Voltaire
Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. — Voltaire
My life is a battle. — Voltaire
Self love is the instrument of our preservation. — Voltaire
Voltaire Quotes About Government
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong. — Voltaire
Democracy is just a filler for textbooks! Do you actually believe that public opinion influences the government? — Voltaire
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. — Voltaire
What! Have you no monks to teach, to dispute, to govern, to intrigue and to burn people who do not agree with them? — Voltaire
It is the characteristic of the most stringent censorships that they give credibility to the opinions they attack. — Voltaire
Governments need to have both shepherds and butchers. — Voltaire
All the known world, excepting only savage nations, is governed by books. — Voltaire
The art of government is to make two-thirds of a nation pay all it possibly can pay for the benefit of the other third. — Voltaire
You despise books; you whose lives are absorbed in the vanities of ambition, the pursuit of pleasure or indolence; but remember that all the known world, excepting only savage nations, is governed by books. — Voltaire
Voltaire Quotes About Human Nature
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
What is toleration? It is the prerogative of humanity. We are all steeped in weaknesses and errors: Let us forgive one another's follies, it is the first law of nature. — Voltaire
But nothing is more estimable than a physician who, having studied nature from his youth, knows the properties of the human body, the diseases which assail it, the remedies which will benefit it, exercises his art with caution, and pays equal attention to the rich and the poor. — Voltaire
Slavery is also as ancient as war, and war as human nature. — Voltaire
Voltaire Quotes About Love
Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination. — Voltaire
Love truth, but pardon error. — Voltaire
It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self-love. — Voltaire
This self-love is the instrument of our preservation; it resembles the provision for the perpetuity of mankind: it is necessary, it is dear to us, it gives us pleasure, and we must conceal it. — Voltaire
He who is involved in ecstasies and visions, who takes dreams for reality, and his own imagination for prophesy, is a fanatical novice of great hope and promise, and will soon advance to the higher stage and kill men for the love of God. — Voltaire
A man loved by a beautiful woman will always get out of trouble. — Voltaire
Whatever you do, trample down abuses, and love those who love you. Different translation: Whatever you do, crush the infamous thing superstition, and love those who love you. — Voltaire
Alas...I too have known love, that ruler of hearts, that soul of our soul: it's never brought me anything except one kiss and twenty kicks in the rump. How could such a beautiful cause produce such an abominable effect on you? — Voltaire
He was my equal in beauty, a paragon of grace and charm, sparkling with wit, and burning with love. I adored him to distraction, to the point of idolatry: I loved him as one can never love twice. — Voltaire
Voltaire Quotes About Religion
If you have two religions in your land, the two will cut each other’s throats; but if you have thirty religions, they will dwell in peace — Voltaire
Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion that has ever infected the world. — Voltaire
When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion. — 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
Theological religion is the source of all imaginable follies and disturbances. It is the parent of fanaticism and civil discord; it is the enemy of mankind. — Voltaire
Of all religions, the Christian should of course inspire the most tolerance, but until now Christians have been the most intolerant of all men. — Voltaire
The institution of religion exists only to keep mankind in order, and to make men merit the goodness of God by their virtue. Everything in a religion which does not tend towards this goal must be considered foreign or dangerous. — Voltaire
The Bible. That is what fools have written, what imbeciles commend, what rogues teach and young children are made to learn by heart. — Voltaire
If we would destroy the Christian religion, we must first of all destroy man's belief in the Bible. — Voltaire
Voltaire Quotes About Education
Every man can educate himself. It's shameful to put one's mind into the hands of those whom you wouldn't entrust with your money. Dare to think for yourself. — Voltaire
Nature has always had more force than education. — Voltaire
Once the people begin to reason, all is lost — Voltaire
Voltaire Quotes About Enlightened
One always begins with the simple, then comes the complex, and by superior enlightenment one often reverts in the end to the simple. Such is the course of human intelligence. — Voltaire
True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten oneself and others. — Voltaire
I have chosen to be happy because it is goo for my health. — Voltaire
Reading nurtures the soul, and an enlightened friend brings it solace. — Voltaire
Voltaire Quotes About Work
Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need. — Voltaire
A clergyman is one who feels himself called upon to live without working at the expense of the rascals who work to live. — Voltaire
The flowery style is not unsuitable to public speeches or addresses, which amount only to compliment. The lighter beauties are in their place when there is nothing more solid to say; but the flowery style ought to be banished from a pleading, a sermon, or a didactic work. — Voltaire
I also know that we must cultivate our garden. For when man was put in the Garden of Eden, he was put there ut operaretur eum, to work; which proves that man was not born for rest. — Voltaire
It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it. — Voltaire
Let us work without theorizing, tis the only way to make life endurable. — Voltaire
You can never correct your work well until you have forgotten it. — Voltaire
Voltaire Quotes About World
To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered. — Voltaire
Let us read and let us dance - two amusements that will never do any harm to the world. — Voltaire
Superstition sets the whole world in flames, but philosophy douses them. — Voltaire
The world embarrasses me, and I cannot dream that this watch exists and has no watchmaker. — Voltaire
You are very harsh.' 'I have seen the world. — Voltaire
The first step, my son, which one makes in the world, is the one on which depends the rest of our days. — Voltaire
Opinion is called the queen of the world; it is so, for when reason opposes it, it is condemned to death. It must rise twenty times from its ashes to gradually drive away the usurper. — Voltaire
All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. — Voltaire
Society therefore is an ancient as the world. — Voltaire
If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others? — Voltaire
Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror. — Voltaire
Four thousand volumes of metaphysics will not teach us what the soul is. — Voltaire
The discover of what is true, and the practice of that which is good, are the two most important objects of philosophy. — Voltaire
If God did not exist, he would have to be invented. — Voltaire
I read these words which are the sum of all moral philosophy, and which cut short all the disputes of the casuists: When in doubt if an action is good or bad, refrain. — Voltaire
Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them. — Voltaire
When he to whom a person speaks does not understand, and he who speaks does not understand himself, that is metaphysics. — Voltaire
When he who hears does not know what he who speaks means, and when he who speaks does not know what he himself means, that is philosophy. — Voltaire
All the arts are brothers; each one is a light to the others. — Voltaire
Voltaire Famous Quotes And Sayings
It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere. — Voltaire
The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity. — Voltaire
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong. — Voltaire
God created sex. Priests created marriage. — Voltaire
Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said. — Voltaire
The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor. — Voltaire
The darkness is at its deepest. Just before the sunrise. — Voltaire
Common sense is not so common. — Voltaire
Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills. — Voltaire
So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men. — Voltaire
Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too. — Voltaire
Despite the enormous quantity of books, how few people read! And if one reads profitably, one would realize how much stupid stuff the vulgar herd is content to swallow every day. — Voltaire
Dare to think for yourself. — Voltaire
If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him. — Voltaire
Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity. — Voltaire
I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. — Voltaire
What can you say to a man who tells you he prefers obeying God rather than men, and that as a result he's certain he'll go to heaven if he cuts your throat? — Voltaire
We are all guilty of the good we did not do — Voltaire
He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise. — Voltaire
Wherever my travels may lead, paradise is where I am. — Voltaire
No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. — Voltaire
No opinion is worth burning your neighbor for. — Voltaire
It is not enough to conquer; one must learn to seduce. — Voltaire
I hate women because they always know where things are. — Voltaire
Beware of the words "internal security," for they are the eternal cry of the oppressor. — Voltaire
It is said that the present is pregnant with the future. — Voltaire
If mankind were born tomorrow it would divide into groups; each would scramble to invent their one and only god, and set about butchering each-other. — Voltaire
Tears are the silent language of grief. — Voltaire
One day everything will be well, that is our hope. Everything's fine today, that is our illusion. — Voltaire
It is one of the superstitions of the human mind to have imagined that virginity could be a virtue. — Voltaire
Faith consists in believing what reason cannot. — Voltaire
What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy. — Voltaire
It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence. — Voltaire
Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road. — Voltaire
Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare. — Voltaire
Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination. — Voltaire
To announce truths is an infallible receipt for being persecuted. — Voltaire
The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude. — Voltaire
I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist without a clockmaker. — Voltaire
I would rather obey a fine lion, much stronger than myself, than two hundred rats of my own species. — Voltaire
The true triumph of reason is that it enables us to get along with those who do not possess it. — Voltaire
My life is a struggle. — Voltaire
Man is free at the instant he wants to be. — Voltaire
The man who says to me, "Believe as I do, or God will damn you," will presently say, "Believe as I do, or I shall assassinate you." — Voltaire
The opportunity for doing mischief is found a hundred times a day, and of doing good once in a year. — Voltaire
If God did not exist, He would have to be invented. But all nature cries aloud that he does exist: that there is a supreme intelligence, an immense power, an admirable order, and everything teaches us our own dependence on it. — Voltaire
Ice-cream is exquisite - what a pity it isn't illegal. — Voltaire
Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. — Voltaire
Men will always be mad, and those who think they can cure them are the maddest of all. — Voltaire
In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense. — Voltaire
Time is man's most precious asset. All men neglect it; all regret the loss of it; nothing can be done without it. — Voltaire
Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do. — Voltaire
The superfluous, a very necessary thing. — Voltaire
This agglomeration which was called and which still calls itself the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. — Voltaire
Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. — Voltaire
Which is more dangerous: fanaticism or atheism? Fanaticism is certainly a thousand times more deadly; for atheism inspires no bloody passion whereas fanaticism does; atheism is opposed to crime and fanaticism causes crimes to be committed. — Voltaire
One should always aim at being interesting, rather than exact. — Voltaire
Dogs, monkeys, and parrots are a thousand times less miserable than we are. — Voltaire
The human brain is a complex organ with the wonderful power of enabling man to find reasons for continuing to believe whatever it is that he wants to believe. — Voltaire
The atheists are for the most part imprudent and misguided scholars who reason badly who, not being able to understand the Creation, the origin of evil, and other difficulties, have recourse to the hypothesis the eternity of things and of inevitability. — Voltaire
So it is the human condition that to wish for the greatness of one's fatherland is to wish evil to one's neighbors. The citizen of the universe would be the man who wishes his country never to be either greater or smaller, richer or poorer. — Voltaire
To the wicked, everything serves as pretext. — Voltaire
Every one should be his own physician. We ought to assist, and not to force nature. Eat with moderation...Nothing is good for the body but what we can digest. What medicine can procure digestion? Exercise. What will recruit strength? Sleep. — Voltaire
Sensual pleasure passes and vanishes, but the friendship between us, the mutual confidence, the delight of the heart, the enchantment of the soul, these things do not perish and can never be destroyed. — Voltaire
Originality is nothing but judicious plagiarism. — Voltaire
He was a great patriot, a humanitarian, a loyal friend; provided, of course, he really is dead. — Voltaire
The more you know, the less sure you are. — Voltaire
Marriage is the only adventure open to the cowardly. — Voltaire
Everything's fine today, that is our illusion. — Voltaire
