Prejudices are what fools use for reason.
VoltaireRead
Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Moderation is key to happiness; both overindulgence and total avoidance can lead to unhappiness.
Voltaire's quote emphasizes the importance of moderation in life. He suggests that true happiness is not found in extremes—whether that be in excess or in complete denial of pleasures—but rather in a balanced approach that allows for responsible enjoyment of life's offerings.
Themes
ModerationHappinessBalanceExcessAbstinence
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about healthy lifestyle choices.
More from Voltaire
All quotes →He was a great patriot, a humanitarian, a loyal friend; provided, of course, he really is dead.
VoltaireRead
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.
VoltaireRead
It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.
VoltaireRead
We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies - it is the first law of nature.
VoltaireRead
It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.
VoltaireRead
Similar quotes
You may not know it, but at the far end of despair, there is a white clearing where one is almost happy.
Joan BaezRead
The whole idea of music, from the beginning of time, was for people to be happy
Robert PlantRead
Things that really matter are the things that gold can't buy, so let's have another cup o' coffee and let's have another piece o' pie.
Irving BerlinRead
Happiness is caused by things that happen around me, and circumstances will mar it; but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows through persecution and opposition. It is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring the world can't see and doesn't know anything about.
Dwight L. MoodyRead
What if you woke up this morning and had only the things you thanked God for yesterday?
Max LucadoRead
Happiness is experienced largely in striving towards a goal, not in having attained things, because our nature is always to want to go on to the next endeavor.
Albert EllisRead