Voltaire
1694 – 1778
Voltaire (1694–1778), born François-Marie Arouet, was a French Enlightenment writer and philosopher celebrated for his wit, his attacks on religious intolerance, and his advocacy of freedom of speech and the separation of church and state. His satirical novella Candide (1759), skewering naive optimism with sharp humour, remains one of the most read works in world literature. He corresponded with monarchs across Europe and was a defining voice of the Age of Reason.
Key works: Candide · Philosophical Dictionary · Zadig
Top quotes by Voltaire
“We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies.”
Read the full explanation →“To succeed in the world, it is not enough to be stupid, you must also display conviction.”
Read the full explanation →“We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.”
Read the full explanation →“It is not enough to conquer; one must learn to seduce.”
Read the full explanation →“The best way to be obedient is to follow your own inclinations; there's no other way of being obedient.”
Read the full explanation →“Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.”
Read the full explanation →“Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy; the mad daughter of a wise mother.”
Read the full explanation →“He who has not the spirit of philosophy in him, whatever he may have of positive science, has but half an education.”
Read the full explanation →“To enjoy life, we must have some pleasure or passion, some vice or some calling which will fill our cup full to the brim.”
Read the full explanation →“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.”
Read the full explanation →
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