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
pigs should-have years
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.
garden should knows
I also know that we should cultivate our gardens.
science discovery should-have
A circumstance which has always appeared wonderful to me, is that such sublime discoveries should have been made by the sole assistance of a quadrant and a little arithmetic.
kings should
Friends should be preferred to kings.
hope virtue should
Hope should no more be a virtue than fear; we fear and we hope, according to what is promised or threatened us.
philosophy history should
History should be written as philosophy.
fruit truth-is should
Truth is a fruit which should not be plucked until it is ripe....
interesting should aim
One should always aim at being interesting, rather than exact.
might serious should
All pleasantry should be short; and it might even be as well were the serious short also.
country truth should
He who seeks truth should be of no country.
rights history should
What would constitute useful history? That which should teach us our duties and our rights, without appearing to teach them.
said should being-true
Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.
criminals hanged man punishment serve
The punishment of criminals should serve a purpose. When a man is hanged he is useless.
beast chain either ferocious flee public
The public is a ferocious beast -- one must either chain it up or flee from it.