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
alone equality people virtue
All people are equal, it is not birth, it is virtue alone that makes the difference.
honor may virtue
A lady of honor may be raped once, but it strengthens her virtue.
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.
men virtue incapable
I have seen men incapable of the sciences, but never any incapable of virtue.
virtue
Virtue debases itself in justifying itself.
men action virtue
Virtue between men is a commerce of good actions: he who has no part in this commerce must not be reckoned.
fear virtue
Fear could never make virtue.
happy-times history virtue
History in general is a collection of crimes, follies, and misfortunes among which we have now and then met with a few virtues, and some happy times.
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.
charming french-writer secret telling tiresome
The secret of being tiresome is in telling everything.
america brazil canada decisions economic final reporting security states united
The United States has subcontracted Brazil for security and Canada for economic development. But they're all reporting to Washington. The final decisions are made there,
attitude dying good joke occurred stop
I should stop myself from dying if a good joke or a good idea occurred to me
best french-writer possible
Everything is for the best in this best of possible worlds.