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
long brain ontology
We admit, in geometry, not only infinite magnitudes, that is to say, magnitudes greater than any assignable magnitude, but infinite magnitudes infinitely greater, the one than the other. This astonishes our dimension of brains, which is only about six inches long, five broad, and six in depth, in the largest heads.
philosophy flames world
Superstition sets the whole world in flames, but philosophy douses them.
creativity originality plagiarism
Originality is nothing but judicious plagiarism.
country law numbers
A multitude of laws in a country is like a great number of physicians, a sign of weakness and malady.
witty people attention
A witty saying proves nothing, but saying something pointless gets people's attention.
years two luxury
Luxury has been railed at for two thousand years, in verse and in prose, and it has always been loved.
country truth should
He who seeks truth should be of no country.
health miracle gentleman
A physician is an unfortunate gentleman who is every day required to perform a miracle; namely to reconcile health with intemperance.
men years sorrow
I have lived eighty years of life and know nothing for it, but to be resigned and tell myself that flies are born to be eaten by spiders and man to be devoured by sorrow.
simple enlightenment ends
One always begins with the simple, then comes the complex, and by superior enlightenment one often reverts in the end to the simple. Such is the course of human intelligence.
people atheism candide
What! Have you no monks to teach, to dispute, to govern, to intrigue and to burn people who do not agree with them?
language difficult difficult-things
Language is a very difficult thing to put into words.
ideas wonderful sensations
We are astonished at thought, but sensation is equally wonderful.
powerful greatness understanding
True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten oneself and others.