Voltaire

VOLTAIRE

A FRENCH ENLIGHTENMENT WRITER KNOWN FOR HIS SHARP WIT AND CRITIQUE OF AUTHORITY

Voltaire's words are a masterclass in wit and incisive critique. His talent for exposing the absurdity of authority and convention is evident in many of his memorable quotes. "God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh" is a quintessential Voltaire line, distilling his skepticism of religious dogma into a sharp, memorable metaphor. This tendency to question the status quo runs throughout his work, exemplifying his commitment to challenging the norms of his time.

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Candide
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Candide

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Primary Topics

One liner
Deep
Man
Believe
Love
Life
Humour
Religion

Voltaire Quotes (100)· Page 1 of 5

"God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh."
AUDIENCELAUGHGODPLAYAFRAID
"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well."
APPRECIATIONWONDERFULGRATITUDESYMPATHYEXCELLENCE
"One great use of words is to hide our thoughts."
ONE LINERGREATDEEPHEALINGHIDING
"Men use thought only as authority for their injustice, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts."
MENCONCEALSPEECHAUTHORITYINJUSTICE
"Is politics nothing other than the art of deliberately lying?"
HUMOURLYINGPOLITICSARTLIBERTY
"The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease."
MEDICINEAMUSENATUREDISEASEARTPATIENT
"No opinion is worth burning your neighbor for."
NEIGHBOROPINIONWORTHBURN
"The human brain is a complex organ with the wonderful power of enabling man to find reasons for continuing to believe whatever it is that he wants to believe."
MANHUMANBRAINPOWERCONFIDENCEBELIEVE
"Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too."
PRIVILEGETHINKINGYOURSELFENJOYMENTFREEDOM
"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."
VIRGINHUMANKNOWLEDGESPIRITIGNORANCEVIRTUE
"When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion."
HUMOURMONEYHUMAN NATURERELIGIONFUNNY
"To hold a pen is to be at war."
PEACEONE LINERPOETPENWRITINGWAR
"If we do not find anything very pleasant, at least we shall find something new."
INSPIRATIONALLIFEPLEASANTCHANGEFINDING
"Discord is the great ill of mankind; and tolerance is the only remedy for it."
MANREMEDYPATIENCEGREATTOLERANCE
"Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them."
HAPPINESSALONEDECLUTTERREASONDISTANCEPEOPLE
"I have wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but somehow I am still in love with life."
LIFESELF LOVEWANTKILLTIMELOVE
"What is history? The lie that everyone agrees on."
LIEHUMOURPASTAGREEHISTORYDEEP
"Our labour preserves us from three great evils - weariness, vice, and want."
PRESERVEGREATWANTWEAREVILLABOUR
"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."
SPECIESSTONEWALKIGNORANCEPATHROAD
"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him."
GODINVENTIONFAITHBELIEVENECESSARYRELIGION
"Dare to think for yourself."
ONE LINERSELF LOVETHINKINGSELF RESPECTATTITUDEDARE
"Opinions have caused more ills than the plague or earthquakes on this little globe of ours."
EARTHQUAKEOPINIONDISEASECAUSESUFFERINGGLOBE

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