Quotes from Voltaire

A fool is a person who guesses and gets it wrong, a clever man is one who guesses, regardless of time period, and gets it right.

I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it.", May 16, 1767)

We never live but we are always in the expectation of living.

Religion was instituted to make us happy in this life and in the other. What must we do to be happy in the life to come? Be just.

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

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

The ear is the avenue to the heart.

Let the punishments of criminals be useful. A hanged man is good for nothing; a man condemned to public works still serves the country, and is a living lesson.

In every author let us distinguish the man from his works.

All styles are good except the tiresome kind.

Everything's fine today, that is our illusion.

In this country we find it pays to shoot an admiral from time to time to encourage the others.

It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self-love.

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.

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.

I have wanted to kill myself a million times, but somehow I am still in love with life.

Love has various lodgings; the same word does not always signify the same thing.

I loved him as we always love the first time: with idolatry and wild passion.

It is love; love, the comfort of the human species, the preserver of the universe, the soul of all sentient beings, love, tender love.

Every one goes astray, but the least imprudent are they who repent the soonest.

Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.

Wherever my travels may lead, paradise is where I am.

Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare.

To announce truths is an infallible receipt for being persecuted.