Voltaire was the youngest of five children from a French noble family.
Despite his father’s wishes for him to be a lawyer, Voltaire pursued writing.
His critiques of the government led to imprisonment and exile, including to England and Prussia.
Voltaire was recognized for his contributions to the Enlightenment’s progressive ideals.
He produced numerous works, including the famous tragedy adaptation ‘Oedipus’ and the satirical novella ‘Candide’.
Voltaire also wrote the acclaimed ‘Dictionnaire Philosophique’. His philosophy advocated religious tolerance, freedom of thought and constitutional monarchy and was inspired by thinkers like Newton and Locke.
See also: Thomas Jefferson Quotes and Socrates Quotes.
An advocate of animal rights, Voltaire praised Hinduism and adhered to vegetarianism.
In this article, I have selected the most insightful quotes by Voltaire.
Best Voltaire Quotes On Religion
1. “The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.” ~ (Voltaire).
2. “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” ~ (Voltaire).
3. “The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.” ~ (Voltaire).
4. “I don’t know where I am going, but I am on my way.” ~ (Voltaire).
5. “Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.” ~ (Voltaire).
6. “Common sense is not so common.” ~ (Voltaire).
7. “Writing is the painting of the voice.” ~ (Voltaire).
8. “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” ~ (Voltaire).
9. “Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too.” ~ (Voltaire).
10. “The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” ~ (Voltaire).
Top Voltaire Quotes
11. “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” ~ (Voltaire).
12. “Don’t think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money.” ~ (Voltaire).
13. “It is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one.” ~ (Voltaire).
14. “The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude.” ~ (Voltaire).
15. “My life is a struggle.” ~ (Voltaire).
16. “No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” ~ (Voltaire).
17. “To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid – one must also be well-mannered.” ~ (Voltaire).
18. “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” ~ (Voltaire).
19. “The best is the enemy of the good.” ~ (Voltaire).
20. “Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” ~ (Voltaire).
21. “Present opportunities are not to be neglected; they rarely visit us twice.” ~ (Voltaire).
22. “The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us” ~ (Voltaire).
23. “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” ~ (Voltaire).
24. “If you want to know who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize.” ~ (Voltaire).
25. “Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.” ~ (Voltaire).
Powerful Voltaire Quotes
26. “History never repeats itself. Man always does.” ~ (Voltaire).
27. “It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.” ~ (Voltaire).
28. “Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.” ~ (Voltaire).
29. “God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.” ~ (Voltaire).
30. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ~ (Voltaire).
31. “Prejudices are what fools use for reason.” ~ (Voltaire).
32. “God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere.” ~ (Voltaire).
33. “Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value – zero.” ~ (Voltaire).
34. “May God defend me from my friends: I can defend myself from my enemies.” ~ (Voltaire).
35. “When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.” ~ (Voltaire).
36. “Paradise is where I am.” ~ (Voltaire).
37. “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.” ~ (Voltaire).
38. “Men argue. Nature acts.” ~ (Voltaire).
39. “Doubt is uncomfortable, certainty is ridiculous.” ~ (Voltaire).
40. “Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.” ~ (Voltaire).
41. “The biggest reward for a thing well done is to have done it.” ~ (Voltaire).
Wise Voltaire Quotes
42. “What is history? The lie that everyone agrees on…” ~ (Voltaire).
43. “A witty saying proves nothing.” ~ (Voltaire).
44. “Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare.” ~ (Voltaire).
45. “Prejudice is opinion without judgement.” ~ (Voltaire).
46. “Dare to think for yourself.” ~ (Voltaire).
47. “If you wish to converse with me, define your terms.” ~ (Voltaire).
48. “I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: ‘O Lord make my enemies ridiculous.’ And God granted it.” ~ (Voltaire).
49. “It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is resurrection.” ~ (Voltaire).
50. “Let us cultivate our garden.” ~ (Voltaire).
51. “Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth.” ~ (Voltaire).
52. “Virtuous men alone possess friends.” ~ (Voltaire).
53. “We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies – it is the first law of nature.” ~ (Voltaire).
54. “He was not the greatest of men but he was the greatest of kings.” ~ (Voltaire).
55. “We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.” ~ (Voltaire).
56. “Weakness on both sides is, as we know, the motto of all quarrels.” ~ (Voltaire).
57. “It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.” ~ (Voltaire).
58. “A long dispute means both parties are wrong.” ~ (Voltaire).
59. “Very often, say what you will, a knave is only a fool.” ~ (Voltaire).
60. “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.” ~ (Voltaire).
61. “You have no control over the hand that life deals you, but how you play that hand is entirely up to you.” ~ (Voltaire).
62. “In France every man is either an anvil or a hammer; he is a beater or must be beaten.” ~ (Voltaire).
Insightful Voltaire Quotes
63. “The progress of rivers to the ocean is not so rapid as that of man to error.” ~ (Voltaire).
64. “The right to free speech is more important than the content of the speech.” ~ (Voltaire).
65. “It is not the answers you give, but the questions you ask.” ~ (Voltaire).
66. “To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth.” ~ (Voltaire).
67. “Shun idleness. It is rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant metals.” ~ (Voltaire).
68. “Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?” ~ (Voltaire).
69. “Men hate the individual whom they call avaricious only because nothing can be gained from him.” ~ (Voltaire).
70. “Changing a habit is hard work. But it’s harder to find work that would be more fulfilling.” ~ (Voltaire).
71. “There is no such thing as an accident. What we call by that name is the effect of some cause which we do not see.” ~ (Voltaire).
72. “Why are the Jews hated? It is the inevitable result of their laws; they either have to conquer everybody or be hated by the whole human race…” ~ (Voltaire).
73. “The hallmark of a free society is that I may totally disapprove of what you say, but I’ll defend your right to say it until I die.” ~ (Voltaire).
74. “The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.” ~ (Voltaire).
75. “It is lamentable that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind.” ~ (Voltaire).
76. “When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. Tecumseh Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ~ (Voltaire).
77. “The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else’s eyes.” ~ (Voltaire).
78. “You must have the devil in you to succeed in the arts.” ~ (Voltaire).
79. “Persistence with patience and prayer pays with profits, prosperity and peace of mind.” ~ (Voltaire).
80. “Ideas are like beards; men do not have them until they grow up.” ~ (Voltaire).
81. “Wine is the divine juice of September.” ~ (Voltaire).
82. “To hold a pen is to be at war.” ~ (Voltaire).
83. “I have no morals, yet I am a very moral person.” ~ (Voltaire).
84. “He who thinks himself wise, O heavens! is a great fool.” ~ (Voltaire).
85. “Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.” ~ (Voltaire).
86. “All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.” ~ (Voltaire).
87. “It is not enough to conquer; one must learn to seduce.” ~ (Voltaire).
88. “It is said that the present is pregnant with the future.” ~ (Voltaire).
89. “Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.” ~ (Voltaire).
90. “It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self-love.” ~ (Voltaire).
91. “All men have equal rights to liberty, to their property, and to the protection of the laws.” ~ (Voltaire).
Profound Voltaire Quotes
92. “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).
93. “Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy.” ~ (Voltaire).
94. “The supposed right of intolerance is absurd and barbaric. It is the right of the tiger; nay, it is far worse, for tigers do but tear in order to have food, while we rend each other for paragraphs.” ~ (Voltaire).
95. “One always speaks badly when one has nothing to say.” ~ (Voltaire).
96. “A multitude of laws in a country is like a great number of physicians, a sign of weakness and malady.” ~ (Voltaire).
97. “History is only the pattern of silken slippers descending the stairs to the thunder of hobnailed boots climbing upward from below.” ~ (Voltaire).
98. “Time is man’s most precious asset. All men neglect it; all regret the loss of it; nothing can be done without it.” ~ (Voltaire).
99. “If there’s life on other planets, then the earth is the Universe’s insane asylum.” ~ (Voltaire).
100. “History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up.” ~ (Voltaire).
101. “God created woman to tame man.” ~ (Voltaire).
102. “Men will always be mad, and those who think they can cure them are the maddest of all.” ~ (Voltaire).
103. “We must cultivate our own garden. When man was put in the garden of Eden he was put there so that he should work, which proves that man was not born to rest.” ~ (Voltaire).
104. “Fanaticism is a monster that pretends to be the child of religion.” ~ (Voltaire).
105. “The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom.” ~ (Voltaire).
106. “Liberty of thought is the life of the soul.” ~ (Voltaire).
107. “Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.” ~ (Voltaire).
108. “All the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment of women.” ~ (Voltaire).
109. “I would rather obey a fine lion, much stronger than myself, than two hundred rats of my own species.” ~ (Voltaire).
110. “We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.” ~ (Voltaire).
111. “One should always aim at being interesting, rather than exact.” ~ (Voltaire).
112. “It is clear that the individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he is not of the same opinion, is a monster.” ~ (Voltaire).
113. “Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.” ~ (Voltaire).
114. “Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.” ~ (Voltaire).
115. “To enjoy life we must touch much of it lightly.” ~ (Voltaire).
116. “Life is a shipwreck but we must remember to sing in the lifeboats.” ~ (Voltaire).
117. “Tears are the silent language of grief.” ~ (Voltaire).
118. “I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.” ~ (Voltaire).
119. “We adore, we invoke, we seek to appease, only that which we fear.” ~ (Voltaire).
120. “Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.” ~ (Voltaire).
121. “If God did not exist, He would have to be invented. But all nature cries aloud that he does exist: that there is a supreme intelligence, an immense power, an admirable order, and everything teaches us our own dependence on it.” ~ (Voltaire).
122. “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilization.” ~ (Voltaire).
123. “The composition of a tragedy requires testicles.” ~ (Voltaire).
124. “The instinct of a man is to pursue everything that flies from him, and to fly from all that pursue him.” ~ (Voltaire).
125. “God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh.” ~ (Voltaire).
126. “Language is a very difficult thing to put into words.” ~ (Voltaire).
127. “Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.” ~ (Voltaire).
128. “There are some that only employ words for the purpose of disguising their thoughts.” ~ (Voltaire).
129. “Wherever my travels may lead, paradise is where I am.” ~ (Voltaire).
130. “The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity.” ~ (Voltaire).
131. “Doctors put drugs of which they know little into bodies of which they know less for diseases of which they know nothing at all.” ~ (Voltaire).
132. “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).
133. “History is the lie commonly agreed upon.” ~ (Voltaire).
134. “History is nothing but a pack of tricks that we play upon the dead.” ~ (Voltaire).
Popular Voltaire Quotes
135. “It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.” ~ (Voltaire).
136. “I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges, astronomy, astrology, metempsychosis, etc…” ~ (Voltaire).
137. “History consists of a series of accumulated imaginative inventions.” ~ (Voltaire).
138. “Constant happiness is the philosopher’s stone of the soul.” ~ (Voltaire).
139. “A witty saying proves nothing, but saying something pointless gets people’s attention.” ~ (Voltaire).
140. “Love truth, but pardon error.” ~ (Voltaire).
141. “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).
142. “Man is not born wicked; he becomes so, as he becomes sick.” ~ (Voltaire).
143. “Atheism is the vice of a few intelligent people.” ~ (Voltaire).
144. “The institution of religion exists only to keep mankind in order, and to make men merit the goodness of God by their virtue. Everything in a religion which does not tend towards this goal must be considered foreign or dangerous.” ~ (Voltaire).
145. “Where some states possess an army, the Prussian Army possesses a state.” ~ (Voltaire).
146. “God created sex. Priests created marriage.” ~ (Voltaire).
147. “The world embarrasses me, and I cannot dream that this watch exists and has no watchmaker.” ~ (Voltaire).
148. “Give me the patience for the small things of life, courage for the great trials of life. Help me to do my best each day and then go to sleep knowing God is awake.” ~ (Voltaire).
149. “Whoever serves his country well has no need of ancestors.” ~ (Voltaire).
150. “Errors flies from mouth to mouth, from pen to pen, and to destroy it takes ages.” ~ (Voltaire).
151. “An ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.” ~ (Voltaire).
152. “Another century and there will not be a Bible on earth!” ~ (Voltaire).
153. “Superstition sets the whole world in flames, but philosophy douses them.” ~ (Voltaire).
154. “The safest course is to do nothing against one’s conscience. With this secret, we can enjoy life and have no fear from death.” ~ (Voltaire).
155. “Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference.” ~ (Voltaire).
156. “Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare.” ~ (Voltaire).
157. “Clever tyrants are never punished.” ~ (Voltaire).
158. “There can be no happiness without good health.” ~ (Voltaire).
159. “Nature has always had more force than education.” ~ (Voltaire).
160. “In the case of news, we should always wait for the sacrament of confirmation.” ~ (Voltaire).
161. “He who has not the spirit of this age, has all the misery of it.” ~ (Voltaire).
162. “The man who, in a fit of melancholy, kills himself today, would have wished to live had he waited a week.” ~ (Voltaire).
163. “The way to become boring is to say everything.” ~ (Voltaire).
164. “No, nothing has the power to part me from you; our love is based upon virtue, and will last as long as our lives.” ~ (Voltaire).
165. “There are no sects in geometry.” ~ (Voltaire).
166. “Inspiration: A peculiar effect of divine flatulence emitted by the Holy Spirit which hisses into the ears of a few chosen of God.” ~ (Voltaire).
Famous Voltaire Quotes
167. “A physician is one who pours drugs of which he knows little into a body of which he knows less.” ~ (Voltaire).
168. “Men appear to prefer ruining one another’s fortunes, and cutting each other’s throats about a few paltry villages, to extending the grand means of human happiness.” ~ (Voltaire).
169. “Give me a few minutes to talk away my face and I can seduce the Queen of France.” ~ (Voltaire).
170. “The darkness is at its deepest. Just before the sunrise.” ~ (Voltaire).
171. “The passions are the winds which fill the sails of the vessel; they sink it at times, but without them it would be impossible to make way.” ~ (Voltaire).
172. “A false science makes atheists, a true science prostrates men before the Deity.” ~ (Voltaire).
173. “You write your name in the snow Yet say nothing.” ~ (Voltaire).
174. “Most of my life has been one tragedy after another, most of which hasn’t happened.” ~ (Voltaire).
175. “Philosopher: A lover of wisdom, which is to say, Truth.” ~ (Voltaire).
176. “The man who says to me, “Believe as I do, or God will damn you,” will presently say, “Believe as I do, or I shall assassinate you.”” ~ (Voltaire).
177. “Answer me, you who believe that animals are only machines. Has nature arranged for this animal to have all the machinery of feelings only in order for it not to have any at all?” ~ (Voltaire).
178. “Historians are gossips who tease the dead.” ~ (Voltaire).
179. “Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.” ~ (Voltaire).
180. “Everything’s fine today, that is our illusion.” ~ (Voltaire).
181. “This agglomeration which was called and which still calls itself the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.” ~ (Voltaire).
182. “Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them.” ~ (Voltaire).
183. “If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated.” ~ (Voltaire).
184. “He must be very ignorant for he answers every question he is asked.” ~ (Voltaire).
185. “Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.” ~ (Voltaire).
186. “To the wicked, everything serves as pretext.” ~ (Voltaire).
187. “I know of nothing more laughable than a doctor who does not die of old age.” ~ (Voltaire).
188. “The superstitious man is to the rogue what the slave is to the tyrant.” ~ (Voltaire).
189. “Let us meet four times a year in a grand temple with music, and thank God for all his gifts. There is one sun. There is one God. Let us have one religion. Then all mankind will be brethren.” ~ (Voltaire).
190. “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).
191. “History is the study of the world’s crime.” ~ (Voltaire).
192. “It would be very singular that all nature, all the planets, should obey eternal laws, and that there should be a little animal five feet high, who, in contempt of these laws, could act as he pleased, solely according to his caprice.” ~ (Voltaire).
193. “The instruction we find in books is like fire. We fetch it from our neighbors, kindle it at home, communicate it to others, and it becomes the property of all.” ~ (Voltaire).
194. “The Jews are of all peoples the grosses, the most ferocious, the most fanatical, and the most absurd.” ~ (Voltaire).
195. “The mouth obeys poorly when the heart murmurs.” ~ (Voltaire).
196. “Froth at the top, dregs at bottom, but the middle is excellent.” ~ (Voltaire).
197. “What can we say with certainty?” ~ (Voltaire).
198. “Every abuse ought to be reformed, unless the reform is more dangerous than the abuse itself.” ~ (Voltaire).
199. “Satire lies about literary men while they live and eulogy lies about them when they die.” ~ (Voltaire).
200. “He who seeks truth should be of no country.” ~ (Voltaire).
201. “We know that all the arts are brothers, that each of them illuminates another, and that a universal light results.” ~ (Voltaire).
So these were some of the top Voltaire Quotes On Religion, Love, Friendship & Rational Thinking.
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Short Biography of Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, was a prominent French Enlightenment figure, celebrated for his sharp wit and critiques of Christianity and slavery.
He passionately defended freedoms of speech and religion and the separation of church and state.
| Full Name | François-Marie Arouet |
| Pen Name | M. de Voltaire |
| Born | 21 November 1694 Paris, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 30 May 1778 (aged 83) Paris, Kingdom of France |
| Resting place | Panthéon, Paris |
| Occupation | Writer, Philosopher, Historian |
| Language | French |
| Education | Collège Louis-le-Grand |
| Genres | Fiction: Novella, Short Story, Tragedy, Poetry; Non-fiction: Polemic, Treatise, Essay, Article, Historiography, Literary Criticism, Eistle, Correspondence |
| Subjects | Religious Intolerance, Freedom |
| Literary movement | Classicism |
| Years active | From 1715 |
| Notable works | Candide, The Maid of Orleans, The Age of Louis XIV |
| Partner | Émilie du Châtelet (1733–1749), Marie Louise Mignot (1744–1778) |
| Era | Age of Enlightenment |
| Region | Western philosophy, French philosophy |
| School | Lumières, Philosophes, Deism, Classical liberalism |
| Main interests | Political philosophy, Literature, Historiography, Biblical Criticism |
| Notable ideas | Philosophy of history, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Separation of church and state |
Voltaire’s extensive writings spanned various forms—plays, poems, novels, essays, and more, totaling over 2,000 works and 20,000 letters.
He was internationally famous and frequently clashed with the strict censorship of the French Catholic monarchy.
His notable work, “Candide,” humorously attacks the optimistic philosophy that this world is the best possible one.
Quick Facts about Voltaire
- Voltaire’s real name was François-Marie Arouet.
- He adopted the pen name “Voltaire.”
- Voltaire was a key figure in the Age of Enlightenment.
- He was known for his writings in various genres, including plays, essays, and novels.
- Voltaire’s most famous work is the satirical novel “Candide.”
- He was a vocal advocate for civil liberties such as freedom of speech and religion.
- Voltaire often criticized the Catholic Church, leading to a tumultuous relationship.
- He was exiled from France because of his controversial views.
- Voltaire famously championed the principle of freedom of speech.
- He was a promoter of reason and rational thinking.
- Voltaire encouraged the use of critical thinking to challenge societal norms.
- His sharp wit and clever wordplay were well-known.
- Voltaire used satire to address the hypocrisy and ignorance in society.
- He was a strong advocate for social justice and addressed issues like inequality and oppression.
- Voltaire had a keen interest in science and corresponded with leading scientists.
- His writings helped popularize scientific ideas during his time.
- Voltaire believed in the power of scientific inquiry.
- He advocated for religious tolerance and the coexistence of different faiths.
- Voltaire lived a nomadic lifestyle, traveling and living in various countries including England and Prussia.
- His travels exposed him to diverse cultures and ideas, enriching his worldview.
- Voltaire’s legacy continues to inspire and influence modern thought.
- His ideas promote values like tolerance, freedom, and reason.
- Voltaire corresponded with other Enlightenment philosophers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot.
- These correspondences helped develop and spread philosophical ideas.
- Despite challenges, Voltaire’s works remain influential in Western literature.
- He used his literary platform to challenge social and political norms.
- Voltaire’s approach combined humor with controversial topics.
- His life and works continue to captivate readers and scholars.
- He remains a celebrated historical figure in philosophy and literature.
- Voltaire’s advocacy for critical thinking urges questioning of the status quo.
Top Questions about Voltaire
A: Voltaire was born in Paris, France, on November 21, 1694.
A: When urged by a priest on his deathbed to renounce Satan, Voltaire reportedly said, “Now is not the time for making new enemies.”
A: Among Voltaire’s renowned works are “Candide,” “Letters Concerning the English Nation,” and “Philosophical Dictionary.”
A: Voltaire’s most acclaimed book is “Candide,” a satirical novel that critiques society and human suffering.
A: Yes, Voltaire was famous for his incisive wit and humor, often using them to critique social and political institutions.
A: Voltaire believed that humans were not deterministic machines, recognizing the existence of free will. He viewed humans as natural beings bound by natural laws, with ethics rooted in a naturally reasonable self.
A: Absolutely. Voltaire was a fervent advocate for freedom of speech, valuing open discourse as a means to challenge authority and drive progress.
A: Born to a wealthy family in Paris, Voltaire was an excellent student taught by Jesuits. He rejected a law career planned by his father, choosing instead to write under the adopted name ‘de Voltaire.’
A: Yes, Voltaire’s progressive ideas and writings often led to controversy, resulting in his imprisonment and exile. His enduring impact on the Enlightenment and civil liberties, however, cements his legacy as a pivotal figure.
