Voltaire
In this country we find it pays to shoot an admiral from time to time to encourage the others.Collection: Country
A witty quote proves nothing.Collection: Witty
All is but illusion and disaster.Collection: Illusion
God created women only to tame men.Collection: Appreciation
All events are linked together in the best of possible worlds; after all, if you had not been driven from a fine castle by being kicked in the backside for love of Miss Cunegonde, if you hadn't been sent before the Inquisition, if you hadn't traveled across America on foot, if you hadn't given a good sword thrust to the baron, if you hadn't lost all your sheep from the good land of Eldorado, you wouldn't be sitting here eating candied citron and pistachios. - That is very well put, said Candide, but we must cultivate our garden.Collection: Garden
Of all religions, Christianity is without a doubt the one that should inspire tolerance mostCollection: Inspire
For can anything be sillier than to insist on carrying a burden one would continually much rather throw to the ground?Collection: Burden
She blushed and so did he. She greeted him in a faltering voice, and he spoke to her without knowing what he was saying.Collection: Crush
The multiplicity of facts and writings is become so great that every thing must soon be reduced to extracts and dictionaries.Collection: Writing
Whenever an important event, a revolution, or a calamity turns to the profit of the church, such is always signalised as the Finger of God.Collection: Important Events
We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation.Collection: Scotland
Observe that noses were made to wear spectacles; and so we have spectacles. Legs were visibly instituted to be breeched, and we have breeches. Stones were formed to be quarried and to build castles; and My Lord has a very noble castle; the greatest Baron in the province should have the best house; and as pigs were made to be eaten, we eat pork all year round; consequently, those who have asserted all is well talk nonsense; they ought to have said that all is for the best.Collection: Years
Your destiny is that of a man, your vows those of a god.Collection: Destiny
Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.Collection: Clever
It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.Collection: Real
Such then is the human condition, that to wish greatness for one’s country is to wish harm to one’s neighbors.Collection: Country
So it is the human condition that to wish for the greatness of one’s fatherland is to wish evil to one’s neighbors. The citizen of the universe would be the man who wishes his country never to be either greater or smaller, richer or poorer.Collection: Country
I loved him as we always love for the first time; with idolatry and wild passion.Collection: Firsts