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Voltaire Quotes


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Many historians take pleasure in putting into the mouths of princes what they have neither said nor ought to have said.
[History]

Marriage is the only adventure open to the cowardly.
[Marriage]

May God defend me from my friends; I can defend myself from my enemies.

Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.

Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference.

Men are in general so tricky, so envious, and so cruel, that when we find one who is only weak, we are happy.
[Weakness]

Men argue, nature acts.
[Nature]

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

Men use thought only to justify their wrongdoings, and speech only to conceal their thoughts.
[Thinking]

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

My life is a struggle.

My prayer to God is a very short one "Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous!" God has granted it.

Nature has always had more force than education.
[Nature]

Never argue at the dinner table, for the one who is not hungry always gets the best of the argument.

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

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.

No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.

Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense.

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.

Of all religions, the Christian should of course inspire the most tolerance, but until now Christians have been the most intolerant of all men.


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