A List of Famous Voltaire Quotes By Reference

A list of quotes from Voltaire. Here are the best Voltaire quotes on various subjects. The Voltaire quotations list is alphabetical but can be sorted by any column. Enjoy these sayings coined by Voltaire. You can use the items in this fact-based list to create a new list, re-rank it to fit your views, then share it with your Facebook friends, Twitter followers or with any other social networks you use on a regular basis.

Print Blog View Views: 3968 Items: 118

< >

Show: 25 100

Order Name Author Subjects

1

A long dispute means that both parties are wrong

Voltaire

Argument
2

A witty saying proves nothing.

Voltaire

Speech
3

All kinds are good except the kind that bores you.

Voltaire

Bores and Boredom
4

All people are equal, it is not birth, it is virtue alone that makes the difference.

Voltaire

Equality
5

All the known world, excepting only savage nations, is governed by books.

Voltaire

Books and Reading
6

Animals have these advantages over man: They have no theologians to instruct them, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills.

Voltaire

Animal
7

Anyone who seeks to destroy the passions instead of controlling them is trying to play the angel.

Voltaire

Passion
8

Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.

Voltaire

Song and Singing
9

As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities.

Voltaire

Evil
10

By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property.

Voltaire

Appreciation
11

Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exist without a cause.

Voltaire

Fate
12

Common sense is not so common.

Voltaire

Common sense
13

Divorce is probably of nearly the same date as marriage. I believe, however, that marriage is some weeks the more ancient.

Voltaire

Divorce
14

Do well and you will have no need for ancestors.

Voltaire

Ancestry
15

Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing.

Voltaire

Physician
16

Doubt is not a pleasant mental state, but certainty is a ridiculous one.

Voltaire

Certainty
17

Every abuse ought to be reformed, unless the reform is more dangerous than the abuse itself.

Voltaire

Reform
18

Every man is the creature of the age in which he lives; very few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time.

Voltaire

Age and Aging
19

Exaggeration is the inseparable companion of greatness.

Voltaire

Exaggeration
20

Four thousand volumes of metaphysics will not teach us what the soul is.

Voltaire

Metaphysics
21

God is always on the side of the heaviest battalions.

Voltaire

God
22

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

Voltaire

God
23

Governments need to have both shepherds and butchers.

Voltaire

Government
24

He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise.

Voltaire

Wisdom
25

He must be very ignorant for he answers every question he is asked.

Voltaire

Question
26

He who dies before many witnesses always does so with courage.

Voltaire

Courage
27

He who doesn't have the spirit of his time, has all its misery.

Voltaire

Spirit and Spirituality
28

History is just the portrayal of crimes and misfortunes.

Voltaire

History and Historians
29

History is nothing but a pack of tricks that we play upon the dead.

Voltaire

History and Historians
30

How I like the boldness of the English, how I like the people who say what they think!

Voltaire

Nationalities and Nationalism
31

I advise you to go on living solely to enrage those who are paying your annuities. It is the only pleasure I have left.

Voltaire

Retirement
32

I believe that there never was a creator of a philosophical system who did not confess at the end of his life that he had wasted his time. It must be admitted that the inventors of the mechanical arts have been much more useful to men that the inventors of syllogisms. He who imagined a ship towers considerably above him who imagined innate ideas.

Voltaire

Imagination
33

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Voltaire

Freedom of speech
34

I know of no great man except those who have rendered great services to the human race.

Voltaire

Service
35

I know of nothing more laughable than a doctor who does not die of old age.

Voltaire

Physician
36

I should like to lie at your feet and die in your arms.

Voltaire

Lies and Lying
37

I was never ruined but twice; once when I lost a lawsuit and once when I won one.

Voltaire

Law and Lawyers
38

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

Voltaire

God
39

If there were only one religion in England there would be danger of despotism, if there were two, they would cut each other's throats, but there are thirty, and they live in peace and happiness.

Voltaire

Multiculturalism
40

If we do not find anything very pleasant, at least we shall find something new.

Voltaire

Adventure
41

In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.

Voltaire

Taxes and Taxation
42

In my life, I have prayed but one prayer: oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it.

Voltaire

Enemies
43

In the case of news, we should always wait for the sacrament of confirmation.

Voltaire

News
44

In this country it's a good thing to kill an admiral now and then to encourage the others.

Voltaire

Army and Navy
45

Independence in the end is the fruit of injustice.

Voltaire

Revolutions and Revolutionaries
46

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

Virginity
47

It is as impossible to translate poetry as it is to translate music.

Voltaire

Poetry and Poets
48

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.

Voltaire

Government
49

It is fancy rather than taste which produces so many new fashions.

Voltaire

Fashion
50

It is far better to be silent than merely to increase the quantity of bad books.

Voltaire

Books and Reading
51

It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.

Voltaire

Freedom
52

It is not known precisely where angels dwell -- whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God's pleasure that we should be informed of their abode.

Voltaire

Angels
53

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

Voltaire

Self-love
54

It is only through timidity that states are lost.

Voltaire

TiMidity
55

Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers.

Voltaire

Question
56

Let us work without theorizing, 'Tis the only way to make life endurable.

Voltaire

Theory
57

Liberty, then, about which so many volumes have been written is, when accurately defined, only the power of acting.

Voltaire

Freedom
58

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.

Voltaire

Love
59

Many are destined to reason wrongly; others, not to reason at all; and others, to persecute those who do reason.

Voltaire

Reason
60

Marriage is the only adventure open to the cowardly.

Voltaire

Marriage
61

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

Voltaire

Friends and Friendship
62

Men argue, nature acts.

Voltaire

Argument
63

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

Voltaire

Greed
64

Men who are occupied in the restoration of health to other men, by the joint exertion of skill and humanity, are above all the great of the earth. They even partake of divinity, since to preserve and renew is almost as noble as to create.

Voltaire

Physician
65

My life is a battle.

Voltaire

Life and Living
66

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

Voltaire

Prayer
67

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.

Voltaire

Problem
68

One of the chief misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowardly.

Voltaire

Coward and Cowardice
69

Originality is nothing but judicious plagiarism.

Voltaire

Originality
70

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

Conformity
71

Perfection is attained by slow degrees; she requires the hand of time.

Voltaire

Patience
72

Pleasure is the object, duty and the goal of all rational creatures.

Voltaire

Pleasure
73

Prejudices are what fools use for reason.

Voltaire

Prejudice
74

Rest is a good thing, but boredom is its brother.

Voltaire

Rest
75

Self-love is the instrument of our preservation.

Voltaire

Self-love
76

Shun idleness is the rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant metals.

Voltaire

Idleness
77

Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy; the mad daughter of a wise mother.

Voltaire

Superstition
78

Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them.

Voltaire

Superstition
79

Tears are the silent language of grief.

Voltaire

Tears
80

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

Voltaire

Medicine
81

The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.

Voltaire

Government
82

The best is the enemy of the good.

Voltaire

Excellence
83

The discover of what is true, and the practice of that which is good, are the two most important objects of philosophy.

Voltaire

Practice
84

The great consolation in life is to say what one thinks.

Voltaire

Frankness
85

The history of human opinion is scarcely anything more than the history of human errors.

Voltaire

Opinions
86

The husband who decides to surprise his wife is often very much surprised himself.

Voltaire

Surprise
87

The infinitely little have a pride infinitely great.

Voltaire

Pride
88

The only way to compel men to speak good of us is to do it.

Voltaire

Character
89

The Pope is an idol whose hands are tied and whose feet are kissed.

Voltaire

Christian Church
90

The public is a ferocious beast. One must either chain it up or flee from it.

Voltaire

People
91

The punishment of criminals should serve a purpose. When a man is hanged he is useless.

Voltaire

Punishment
92

The pursuit of what is true and the practice of what is good are the two most important objects of philosophy.

Voltaire

Philosophers and Philosophy
93

The superfluous is very necessary.

Voltaire

Necessity
94

The true character of liberty is independence, maintained by force.

Voltaire

Freedom
95

The true triumph of reason is that it enables us to get along with those who do not possess it.

Voltaire

Reason
96

The world embarrasses me, and I cannot dream that this watch exists and has no watchmaker.

Voltaire

Creation
97

They use thought only to justify their injustices, and speech only to disguise their thoughts.

Voltaire

Thoughts and Thinking
98

This poem will never reach its destination. -- On Rousseau's Ode To Posterity

Voltaire

Poetry and Poets
99

Time, which alone makes the reputation of men, ends by making their defects respectable.

Voltaire

Vice
100

To announce truths is an infallible receipt for being persecuted.

Voltaire

Truth

Showing items 1 - 25 of 118

A List of Famous Voltaire Quotes you can use this list to help make your own ranked list about this topic

A long dispute means that both parties are wrong

A witty saying proves nothing.

All kinds are good except the kind that bores you.

All people are equal, it is not birth, it is virtue alone that makes the difference.

All the known world, excepting only savage nations, is governed by books.

Animals have these advantages over man: They have no theologians to instruct them, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills.

Anyone who seeks to destroy the passions instead of controlling them is trying to play the angel.

Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.

As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities.

By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property.

Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exist without a cause.

Common sense is not so common.

Divorce is probably of nearly the same date as marriage. I believe, however, that marriage is some weeks the more ancient.

Do well and you will have no need for ancestors.

Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing.

Doubt is not a pleasant mental state, but certainty is a ridiculous one.

Every abuse ought to be reformed, unless the reform is more dangerous than the abuse itself.

Every man is the creature of the age in which he lives; very few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time.

Exaggeration is the inseparable companion of greatness.

Four thousand volumes of metaphysics will not teach us what the soul is.

God is always on the side of the heaviest battalions.

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

Governments need to have both shepherds and butchers.

He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise.

He must be very ignorant for he answers every question he is asked.

He who dies before many witnesses always does so with courage.

He who doesn't have the spirit of his time, has all its misery.

History is just the portrayal of crimes and misfortunes.

History is nothing but a pack of tricks that we play upon the dead.

How I like the boldness of the English, how I like the people who say what they think!

I advise you to go on living solely to enrage those who are paying your annuities. It is the only pleasure I have left.

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

I know of no great man except those who have rendered great services to the human race.

I know of nothing more laughable than a doctor who does not die of old age.

I should like to lie at your feet and die in your arms.

I was never ruined but twice; once when I lost a lawsuit and once when I won one.

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

If there were only one religion in England there would be danger of despotism, if there were two, they would cut each other's throats, but there are thirty, and they live in peace and happiness.

If we do not find anything very pleasant, at least we shall find something new.

In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.

In my life, I have prayed but one prayer: oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it.

In the case of news, we should always wait for the sacrament of confirmation.

In this country it's a good thing to kill an admiral now and then to encourage the others.

Independence in the end is the fruit of injustice.

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.

It is as impossible to translate poetry as it is to translate music.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.

It is fancy rather than taste which produces so many new fashions.

It is far better to be silent than merely to increase the quantity of bad books.

It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.

It is not known precisely where angels dwell -- whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God's pleasure that we should be informed of their abode.

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

It is only through timidity that states are lost.

Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers.

Let us work without theorizing, 'Tis the only way to make life endurable.

Liberty, then, about which so many volumes have been written is, when accurately defined, only the power of acting.

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.

Many are destined to reason wrongly; others, not to reason at all; and others, to persecute those who do reason.

Marriage is the only adventure open to the cowardly.

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

Men argue, nature acts.

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

Men who are occupied in the restoration of health to other men, by the joint exertion of skill and humanity, are above all the great of the earth. They even partake of divinity, since to preserve and renew is almost as noble as to create.

My life is a battle.

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

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.

One of the chief misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowardly.

Originality is nothing but judicious plagiarism.

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.

Perfection is attained by slow degrees; she requires the hand of time.

Pleasure is the object, duty and the goal of all rational creatures.

Prejudices are what fools use for reason.

Rest is a good thing, but boredom is its brother.

Self-love is the instrument of our preservation.

Shun idleness is the rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant metals.

Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy; the mad daughter of a wise mother.

Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them.

Tears are the silent language of grief.

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

The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.