Quotes from Voltaire

Man is free at the instant he wants to be.

Shun idleness. It is rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant metals.

Come! you presence will either give me life or kill me with pleasure.

If we do not find anything very pleasant, at least we shall find something new.

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

Almost all life depends on probabilities.

Life is bristling with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one's garden.

The instruction we find in books is like fire. We fetch it from our neighbours, kindle it at home, communicate it to others, and it becomes the property of all.

I should like to lie at your feet and die in your arms.

Men hate the individual whom they call avaricious only because nothing can be gained from him.

The husband who decides to surprise his wife is often very much surprised himself.

The ancient Romans built their greatest masterpieces of architecture, their amphitheaters, for wild beasts to fight in.

Paradise was made for tender hearts; hell, for loveless hearts.

The question of good and evil remains in irremediable chaos for those who seek to fathom it in reality. It is mere mental sport to the disputants, who are captives that play with their chains.

The spirit of property doubles a man's strength.

To achieve a goal, a dream, a wish, you must plan it out for success!

Never having been able to succeed in the world, he took his revenge by speaking ill of it.

It is not enough to be exceptionally mad, licentious and fanatical in order to win a great reputation; it is still necessary to arrive on the scene at the right time.

What a pessimist you are!" exclaimed Candide. "That is because I know what life is," said Martin.

Monsieur l'abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.

Paradise is where I am

Who are you, Nature? I live in you; for fifty years I have been seeking you, and I have not found you yet.

This is no time to make new enemies.

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