Voltaire Quotes

“If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.”

“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”

“Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy: the mad daughter of a wise mother.”

“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: "O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it.”

“When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.”

“God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best.”

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

“Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.”

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”

“It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.”

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

“To hold a pen is to be at war.”

“The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.”

“The superfluous, a very necessary thing.”

“Tears are the silent language of grief.”

“The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”

“Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.”

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

“Friendship is the marriage of the soul, and this marriage is liable to divorce.”

“The ear is the avenue to the heart.”

“Let us read and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.”

“Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”

“What a heavy burden is a name that has become too famous.”

“We are rarely proud when we are alone.”

“It is not enough to conquer; one must learn to seduce.”