Nov 21, 1694 - May 30, 1778
French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and free trade
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Animals have these advantages over man: They have no theologians to instruct them, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills.
Do well and you will have no need for ancestors.
Men argue, nature acts.
Divorce is probably of nearly the same date as marriage. I believe, however, that marriage is some weeks the more ancient.
A long dispute means that both parties are wrong
By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property.
To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth.
We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies it is the first law of nature.
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.
He must be very ignorant for he answers every question he is asked.
Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers.
We owe respect to the living. To the dead we owe only truth.
It is not love that should be depicted as blind, but self-love.
Self-love is the instrument of our preservation.
Rest is a good thing, but boredom is its brother.
The punishment of criminals should serve a purpose. When a man is hanged he is useless.
They use thought only to justify their injustices, and speech only to disguise their thoughts.
A witty saying proves nothing.
Tears are the silent language of grief.
I advise you to go on living solely to enrage those who are paying your annuities. It is the only pleasure I have left.
Woe to the makers of literal translations, who by rendering every word weaken the meaning! It is indeed by so doing that we can say the letter kills and the spirit gives life.
The true triumph of reason is that it enables us to get along with those who do not possess it.
Many are destined to reason wrongly; others, not to reason at all; and others, to persecute those who do reason.
Truth is a fruit which should not be plucked until it is ripe.
Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.
To announce truths is an infallible receipt for being persecuted.
Every abuse ought to be reformed, unless the reform is more dangerous than the abuse itself.
Independence in the end is the fruit of injustice.
Work is often the father of pleasure.
Pleasure is the object, duty and the goal of all rational creatures.
