Voltaire

‎Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.

It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is resurrection.

I have no morals, yet I am a very moral person

The interest I have to believe a thing is no proof that such a thing exists.

I am the best-natured creature in the world, and yet I have already killed three, and of these three two were priests.

the women are never at a loss, God provides for them, let us run.

It is as impossible to translate poetry as it is to translate music.

He wanted to know how they prayed to God in El Dorado. "We do not pray to him at all," said the reverend sage. "We have nothing to ask of him. He has given us all we want, and we give him thanks continually.

Martin in particular concluded that man was born to live either in the convulsions of misery, or in the lethargy of boredom.

Every man is a creature of the age in which he lives and few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time.

Our character is composed of our ideas and our feelings: and, since it has been proved that we give ourselves neither feelings nor ideas, our character does not depend on us. If it did depend on us, there is nobody who would not be perfect. If one does not reflect, one thinks oneself master of everything; but when one does reflect, one realizes that one is master of nothing

The man who leaves money to charity in his will is only giving away what no longer belongs to him

The perfect is the enemy of the good.

Verses which do not teach men new and moving truths do not deserve to be read.

All men are by nature free; you have therefore an undoubted liberty to depart whenever you please, but will have many and great difficulties to encounter in passing the frontiers.

History never repeats itself. Man always does.

It is clear that the individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he is not of the same opinion, is a monster.

In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.

Doctors put drugs of which they know little into bodies of which they know less for diseases of which they know nothing at all.

"You're a bitter man," said Candide. _x000D_ "That's because I've lived," said Martin.

Alas...I too have known love, that ruler of hearts, that soul of our soul: it's never brought me anything except one kiss and twenty kicks in the rump. How could such a beautiful cause produce such an abominable effect on you?