150 Best Quotes by Voltaire: Timeless Wisdom from the Enlightenment's Greatest Wit

Patrick WrightJuly 5, 2025

150 Best Quotes by Voltaire: Timeless Wisdom from the Enlightenment's Greatest Wit

An oil painting of Voltaire

François-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name Voltaire (1694-1778), stands as one of the most influential writers and philosophers of the Enlightenment era. A French writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his criticism of Christianity and slavery, and his advocacy of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state, Voltaire produced works in almost every literary form. His sharp tongue and even sharper pen made him both celebrated and controversial throughout his lifetime, and his words continue to resonate with readers centuries after his death.

Known for his satirical works, particularly Candide, Voltaire championed reason, tolerance, and justice while fearlessly critiquing religious dogma, political tyranny, and social injustice. His quotes reveal a mind that was simultaneously skeptical and hopeful, cynical and compassionate, always seeking truth while acknowledging human limitations.

Table of Contents

  1. On Wisdom and Knowledge
  2. On Religion and Faith
  3. On Life and Living
  4. On Human Nature and Society
  5. On Politics and Power
  6. On Love and Relationships
  7. On Literature and Art
  8. On Philosophy and Truth

Section 1: On Wisdom and Knowledge

Voltaire's pursuit of knowledge and wisdom defined his life's work. These quotes reflect his belief in the power of reason and the importance of intellectual humility.

"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

"Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too." - Voltaire

"The secret of being a bore is to tell everything." - Voltaire

"Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it." - Voltaire

"Reading nurtures the soul, and an enlightened friend brings it solace." - Voltaire

"Despite the enormous quantity of books, how few people read! And if one reads profitably, one would realize how much stupid stuff the vulgar herd is content to swallow every day." - Voltaire

"Fools have a habit of believing that everything written by a famous author is admirable. For my part I read only to please myself and like only what suits my taste." - Voltaire

"Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world." - Voltaire

"Common sense is not so common." - Voltaire

"The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing." - Voltaire

"Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do." - Voltaire

"It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere." - Voltaire

"The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease." - Voltaire

"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." - Voltaire

"The infinitely little have a pride infinitely great." - Voltaire

"Prejudices are what fools use for reason." - Voltaire

"The instruction we find in books is like fire. We fetch it from our neighbours, kindle it at home, communicate it to others, and it becomes the property of all." - Voltaire

"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." - Voltaire

"Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes." - Voltaire

Section 2: On Religion and Faith

Voltaire's complex relationship with religion produced some of his most controversial and thought-provoking quotes.

"Faith consists in believing what reason cannot." - Voltaire

"S'il n'existait pas Dieu il faudrait l'inventer." (If God did not exist he would have to be invented.) - Voltaire

"God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere." - Voltaire

"A true god surely cannot have been born of a girl, nor died on the gibbet, nor be eaten in a piece of dough... or inspired books, filled with contradictions, madness, and horror." - Voltaire

"If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated." - Voltaire

"In the beginning God created man in His own image, and man has been trying to repay the favor ever since." - Voltaire

"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire

"I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it." - Voltaire

"It is said that God is always on the side of the big battalions." - Voltaire

"I do not know by what power I think; but well I know that I should never have thought without the assistance of my senses. That there are immaterial and intelligent substances I do not at all doubt; but that it is impossible for God to communicate the faculty of thinking to matter, I doubt very much. I revere the Eternal Power, to which it would ill become me to prescribe bounds. I affirm nothing, and am contented to believe that many things are possible than are usually thought so." - Voltaire

"Morality is everywhere the same for all men, therefore it comes from God; sects differ, therefore they are the work of men." - Voltaire

"Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy - the mad daughter of a wise mother." - Voltaire

"It is one of the superstitions of the human mind to have imagined that virginity could be a virtue." - Voltaire

"What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature." - Voltaire

"Of all religions, the Christian should of course inspire the most tolerance, but until now Christians have been the most intolerant of all men." - Voltaire

"The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reasoning." - Voltaire

"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well." - Voltaire

"Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity." - Voltaire

Section 3: On Life and Living

Voltaire's observations on life reflect both his wit and his deep understanding of the human condition.

"I've decided to be happy because it's good for my health." - Voltaire

"We never live; we are always in the expectation of living." - Voltaire

"We all look for happiness, but without knowing where to find it: like drunkards who look for their house, knowing dimly that they have one." - Voltaire

"The best is the enemy of good." - Voltaire

"Better is the Enemy of Good." - Voltaire

"Our labour preserves us from three great evils -- weariness, vice, and want." - Voltaire

"Let us work without reasoning,' said Martin; 'it is the only way to make life endurable." - Voltaire

"The man who, in a fit of melancholy, kills himself today, would have wished to live had he waited a week." - Voltaire

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

"The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us." - Voltaire

"Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game." - Voltaire

"Paradise is where I am." - Voltaire

"The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude." - Voltaire

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." - Voltaire

"Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need." - Voltaire

"Let us cultivate our garden." - Voltaire

"Illusion is the first of all pleasures." - Voltaire

"The pursuit of pleasure must be the goal of every rational person." - Voltaire

"Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy." - Voltaire

Section 4: On Human Nature and Society

Voltaire's keen observations of human behavior and social dynamics remain remarkably relevant today.

"Men use thought only as authority for their injustice, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts." - Voltaire

"Men employ speech only to conceal their thoughts." - Voltaire

"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." - Voltaire

"Everywhere the weak execrate the powerful, before whom they cringe; and the powerful beat them like sheep whose wool and flesh they sell." - Voltaire

"To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid - one must also be polite." - Voltaire

"Don't think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money." - Voltaire

"A fondness for roving, for making a name for themselves in their own country, and for boasting of what they had seen in their travels, was so strong in our two wanderers, that they resolved to be no longer happy; and demanded permission of the king to leave the country." - Voltaire

"Da ich nun einmal nicht imstande war, die Menschen vernünftiger zu machen, war ich lieber fern von ihnen glücklich." - Voltaire

"Po te jete se skifteret kane patur gjithmone te njejtin karakter, perse doni atehere qe njerzit te ndryshojne te tyren?" - Voltaire

"It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong." - Voltaire

"The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor." - Voltaire

"Man is free at the moment he wishes to be." - Voltaire

"We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies - it is the first law of nature." - Voltaire

"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." - Voltaire

"History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes." - Voltaire

"It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self-love." - Voltaire

"Originality is nothing but judicious imitation." - Voltaire

"The ear is the avenue to the heart." - Voltaire

"We are rarely proud when we are alone." - Voltaire

Section 5: On Politics and Power

Voltaire's political commentary was both brave and insightful, challenging the power structures of his time.

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets." - Voltaire

"Seigneur, protégez-moi de mes amis : mes ennemis, je m'en charge." - Voltaire

"Fear follows crime and is its punishment." - Voltaire

"on doit des égards aux vivants, on ne doit aux morts que la vérité." - Voltaire

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire

"The right to free speech is more important than the content of the speech." - Voltaire

"Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them." - Voltaire

"In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other." - Voltaire

"The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination." - Voltaire

"Liberty of thought is the life of the soul." - Voltaire

"Tyrants have always some slight shade of virtue; they support the laws before destroying them." - Voltaire

"The sovereign is called a tyrant who knows no laws but his caprice." - Voltaire

"He who has not the spirit of this age, has all the misery of it." - Voltaire

"Governments need to have both shepherds and butchers." - Voltaire

"History is the study of the world's crime." - Voltaire

"To hold a pen is to be at war." - Voltaire

"The ancient Romans built their greatest masterpieces of architecture for wild beasts to fight in." - Voltaire

"War is the greatest of all crimes; and yet there is no aggressor who does not color his crime with the pretext of justice." - Voltaire

Section 6: On Love and Relationships

Voltaire's thoughts on love and human relationships reveal both cynicism and deep understanding.

"L'amour est de toutes les passions la plus forte, parce qu'elle attaque à la fois la tête, le cœur et le corps." - Voltaire

"Marriage is the only adventure open to the cowardly." - Voltaire

"Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law." - Voltaire

"Daignez plutôt honorer tout d'un temps De vos bontés vos deux jeunes amants, Et gardez-vous de risquer votre vie." - Voltaire

"Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination." - Voltaire

"Friendship is the marriage of the soul, and this marriage is liable to divorce." - Voltaire

"The heart has its own reasons that reason can't understand." - Voltaire

"Love has features which pierce all hearts, he wears a bandage which conceals the faults of those beloved. He has wings, he comes quickly and flies away the same." - Voltaire

"Sensual pleasure passes and vanishes, but the friendship between us, the mutual confidence, the delight of the heart, the enchantment of the soul, these things do not perish and can never be destroyed." - Voltaire

"True love is infinitely rare, while infatuation is infinitely common." - Voltaire

"The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood." - Voltaire

"Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them." - Voltaire

"We cannot wish for that we know not." - Voltaire

"The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity." - Voltaire

"When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion." - Voltaire

"Business is the salt of life." - Voltaire

"He who thinks himself wise, O heavens! is a great fool." - Voltaire

"Ice-cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn't illegal." - Voltaire

Section 7: On Literature and Art

As a prolific writer, Voltaire had much to say about the craft of writing and the power of literature.

"One merit of poetry few persons will deny: it says more and in fewer words than prose." - Voltaire

"Vous craignez les livres comme certaines bourgades ont craint les violons. Laissez lire, et laissez danser; ces deux amusements ne feront jamais de mal au monde." - Voltaire

"As to fictions which represent nothing, teach nothing, and from which nothing results, are they anything more than falsities? And if they are incoherent and heaped together without choice, are they anything better than dreams?" - Voltaire

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

"Writing is the painting of the voice." - Voltaire

"The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out." - Voltaire

"A witty saying proves nothing." - Voltaire

"Poetry is the music of the soul, and, above all, of great and feeling souls." - Voltaire

"The flowery style is not unsuitable to public speeches or addresses, which amount only to compliment. The lighter beauties are in their place when there is nothing more solid to say; but the flowery style ought to be banished from a pleading, a sermon, or a didactic work." - Voltaire

"Satire lies about literary men while they live and eulogy lies about them when they die." - Voltaire

"Books rule the world, or at least those nations in it which have a written language; the others do not count." - Voltaire

"The multitude of books is making us ignorant." - Voltaire

"The opportunity for doing mischief is found a hundred times a day, and of doing good once in a year." - Voltaire

"Woe to the makers of literal translations, who by rendering every word weaken the meaning!" - Voltaire

"The best is the mortal enemy of the good." - Voltaire

"History is nothing but a pack of tricks that we play upon the dead." - Voltaire

"All the arts are brothers; each one is a light to the others." - Voltaire

"The discovery of what is true and the practice of that which is good are the two most important aims of philosophy." - Voltaire

Section 8: On Philosophy and Truth

Voltaire's philosophical insights continue to challenge and inspire thinkers today.

"If we cannot find our account in one world we shall in another. It is a great pleasure to see and do new things." - Voltaire

"Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable." - Voltaire

"The perfect is the enemy of the good." - Voltaire

"It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it." - Voltaire

"We must cultivate our own garden." - Voltaire

"What is history? The lie that everyone agrees on." - Voltaire

"To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth." - Voltaire

"I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health." - Voltaire

"The most important decision you can make is to be in a good mood." - Voltaire

"God is a comedian playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh." - Voltaire

"It is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one." - Voltaire

"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking." - Voltaire

"Chance is a word void of sense; nothing can exist without a cause." - Voltaire

"We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly." - Voltaire

"Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time." - Voltaire

"Four thousand volumes of metaphysics will not teach us what the soul is." - Voltaire

"Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?" - Voltaire

"The mouth obeys poorly when the heart murmurs." - Voltaire

"Tears are the silent language of grief." - Voltaire

"Time, which alone makes the reputation of men, ends by making their defects respectable." - Voltaire

"He must be very ignorant for he answers every question he is asked." - Voltaire

"Now, now my good man, this is no time to be making enemies." - Voltaire (on his deathbed, when asked to renounce Satan)

Conclusion

An oil painting of Voltaire

Voltaire's enduring legacy lies not just in his literary works but in the timeless wisdom captured in his quotes. His words continue to challenge us to think critically, question authority, and maintain our sense of humor even in the face of life's absurdities. From his biting satire to his profound philosophical insights, Voltaire remains one of history's most quotable figures.

His ability to distill complex ideas into memorable phrases has ensured that his thoughts on freedom, religion, politics, and human nature remain relevant centuries after his death. Whether advocating for tolerance, critiquing power structures, or simply observing the follies of human behavior, Voltaire's quotes remind us that the pursuit of truth and the cultivation of reason are eternal human endeavors.

As we reflect on these 150 quotes, we see a mind that was restlessly curious, courageously honest, and unfailingly witty. Voltaire's words continue to inspire, provoke, and enlighten, proving that great ideas, like great literature, are truly timeless. In an age of rapid change and uncertainty, his call to "cultivate our garden" – to focus on what we can control and improve – remains as relevant as ever.

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