Voltaire

Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and speech only to conceal their thoughts.

The public is a ferocious beast; one must either chain it or flee from it.

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

You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time - but most of the time they will make fools of themselves.

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

I know many books which have bored their readers, but I know of none which has done real evil.

Very often, say what you will, a knave is only a fool.

Whoever serves his country well has no need of ancestors.

The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.

The multitude of books is making us ignorant.

Let us work without theorizing, tis the only way to make life endurable.

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.

Very learned women are to be found, in the same manner as female warriors but they are seldom or ever inventors.

To hold a pen is to be at war.

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

I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom.

Perfection is attained by slow degrees it requires the hand of time.

Society therefore is an ancient as the world.

He who is not just is severe, he who is not wise is sad.

Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense.

Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth.

The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reason.

What then do you call your soul? What idea have you of it? You cannot of yourselves, without revelation, admit the existence within you of anything but a power unknown to you of feeling and thinking.

Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.

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

How pleasant it is for a father to sit at his child's board. It is like an aged man reclining under the shadow of an oak which he has planted.

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.

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

There are truths which are not for all men, nor for all times.

All the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment of women.