Voltaire was born François-Marie Arouet on November 21, 1694. He was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, and historian who raised social issues and advocated civil liberties through his work.
Voltaire has 20,000 letters, 2,000 books, and hundreds of poems, essays, pamphlets, and plays to his name. He wasn’t only famous in France—Voltaire was a commercial success internationally, mostly known for his versatile writing style.
Voltaire supported the separation of church from state and freedom of religion and speech, among other social issues. His work was against the censorship policies, yet he made sure people heard his opinions. Some of Voltaire quotes have created a legacy that speaks of his straightforward thinking and wit.
Thought-Provoking Voltaire Quotes
1. “Love truth, but pardon error.” – Voltaire
2. “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” – Voltaire
3. “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
4. “The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.” – Voltaire
5. “The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.” – Voltaire
6. “Every man is a creature of the age in which he lives and few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time.” – Voltaire
7. “Faith consists in believing what reason cannot.” – Voltaire
8. “Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.” – Voltaire
9. “Don’t think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money.” – Voltaire
10. “We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.” – Voltaire
11. “The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom.” – Voltaire
12. “The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.” – Voltaire
13. “It is love; love, the comfort of the human species, the preserver of the universe, the soul of all sentient beings, love, tender love.” – Voltaire
14. “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
15. “No opinion is worth burning your neighbor for.” – Voltaire
16. “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” – Voltaire
17. “The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else’s eyes.” – Voltaire
18. “One day everything will be well, that is our hope. Everything’s fine today, that is our illusion.” – Voltaire
19.“Men will always be mad, and those who think they can cure them are the maddest of all.” – Voltaire
20. “The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity.” – Voltaire
21. “Prejudices are what fools use for reason.” – Voltaire
22. “It is clear that the individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he is not of the same opinion, is a monster.” – Voltaire
23. “It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part.” – Voltaire
24. “Man is free at the instant he wants to be.” – Voltaire
25. “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
26. “Liberty of thought is the life of the soul.” – Voltaire
27. “It is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one.” – Voltaire
28. “God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh.” – Voltaire
29. “Fools have a habit of believing that everything written by a famous author is admirable. For my part I read only to please myself and like only what suits my taste.” – Voltaire
30. “Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” – Voltaire
31. “The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.” – Voltaire
32. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire
33. “Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too.” – Voltaire
34. “God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere.” – Voltaire
35. “I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it.” – Voltaire
36. “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
37. “If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?” – Voltaire
38. “Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.” – Voltaire
39. “History never repeats itself. Man always does.” – Voltaire
40. “It is not enough to conquer; one must learn to seduce.” – Voltaire
41. “Perfect is the enemy of good.” – Voltaire
42. “The infinitely small have a pride infinitely great.” – Voltaire
43. “The pursuit of pleasure must be the goal of every rational person.” – Voltaire
44. “Ice-cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.” – Voltaire
45. “Marriage is the only adventure open to the cowardly.” – Voltaire
46. “A State can be no better than the citizens of which it is composed. Our labor now is not to mold States but make citizens.” – Voltaire
47. “If you want good laws, burn those you have and make new ones.” – Voltaire
48. “One merit of poetry few persons will deny: it says more and in fewer words than prose.” – Voltaire
49. “May God defend me from my friends: I can defend myself from my enemies.” – Voltaire
50. “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.” – Voltaire
51. “Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference.” – Voltaire
52. “Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law.” – Voltaire
53. “Our labor preserves us from three great evils — weariness, vice, and want.” – Voltaire
54. “I would rather obey a fine lion, much stronger than myself, than two hundred rats of my own species.” – Voltaire
55. “He must be very ignorant for he answers every question he is asked.” – Voltaire
56. “Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.” – Voltaire
57. “The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude.” – Voltaire
58. ‘Optimism,’ said Cacambo, ‘What is that?’ ‘Alas!’ replied Candide, ‘It is the obstinacy of maintaining that everything is best when it is worst.’ ~Candide – Voltaire
59. “It is an infantile superstition of the human spirit that virginity would be thought a virtue and not the barrier that separates ignorance from knowledge.” – Voltaire
60. “Common sense is not so common.” – Voltaire
61. “To succeed in the world, it is not enough to be stupid – one must also be polite.” – Voltaire
62. “It is an infantile superstition of the human spirit that virginity would be thought a virtue and not the barrier that separates ignorance from knowledge.” – Voltaire
63. “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
64. “When he to whom one speaks does not understand, and he who speaks himself does not understand, that is metaphysics.” – Voltaire
65. “To hold a pen is to be at war.” – Voltaire
66. “Injustice in the end produces independence.” – Voltaire
67. “The heart has its own reasons that reason can’t understand.” – Voltaire
68. “I should like to lie at your feet and die in your arms.” – Voltaire
69. “I have lived eighty years of life and know nothing for it, but to be resigned and tell myself that flies are born to be eaten by spiders and man to be devoured by sorrow.” – Voltaire
70. “Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.” – Voltaire
71. “We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.” – Voltaire
72. “I hate women because they always know where things are.” – Voltaire
73. “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
LITERATURE – Voltaire
Voltaire was one of the wisest, funniest, and cleverest people of the 18th century. He continues to teach us about toleration, modesty, and kindness.
Summary
Voltaire was a French writer, historian, and writer. He had a versatile style of writing loved by people across the world. Voltaire never let the strict rules of the state stop his opinions from reaching people who wanted to free themselves from confining policies. We hope these Voltaire quotes helped you learn that the French writer’s words are still relevant!
Related Articles
Ray Bradbury Quotes for Inspiration
Honoré de Balzac Quotes about Human Weaknesses
Interesting Don Quixote Quotes
Link
After Nicolas de Largillière, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
I’m Alice Judy and AnQuotes is a fun hobby for me. We know that everyone loves a great quote and our mission here is simple – to be the best and most interesting quote site in the world! If you have quotes you would like us to cover, please contact us.