Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet, known by his nom de plume Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionHistorian
Date of Birth21 November 1694
CityParis, France
CountryFrance
passion wind would-be
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.
positive-thinking ancestry needs
Do well and you will have no need for ancestors.
triumph reason folks
It is the triumph of superior reason to live with folks who don't have any.
life happy-birthday funny-birthday
God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.
patriotism enemy mankind
It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind.
freedom truth lying
History is the lie commonly agreed upon.
angel air void
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.
country uprising ancestry
Whoever serves his country well has no need of ancestors.
truth religion atheism
The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reason.
atheist believe atrocities
If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities.
birthday equality men
Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference.
soul comfort candide
It is love; love, the comfort of the human species, the preserver of the universe, the soul of all sentient beings, love, tender love.
ignorance knowledge would-be
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.
inspirational change determination
Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exist without a cause.