V

Voltaire

92 quotes

Voltaire (1694–1778) was the pen name of François-Marie Arouet, a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, advocacy of civil liberties, and criticism of established religion and institutions. His satirical novel *Candide* remains one of the most widely read works of French literature.

“What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy.”

— Voltaire

Age

All Quotes by Voltaire

“What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy.”

— Voltaire

Age

“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

Alone

“He was a great patriot, a humanitarian, a loyal friend provided, of course, he really is dead.”

— Voltaire

Great

“Fear follows crime and is its punishment.”

— Voltaire

Fear

“Men hate the individual whom they call avaricious only because nothing can be gained from him.”

— Voltaire

Men

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

— Voltaire

Time

“Men use thought only as authority for their injustice, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.”

— Voltaire

Men

“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.”

— Voltaire

Death

“History should be written as philosophy.”

— Voltaire

History

“The superfluous, a very necessary thing.”

— Voltaire

Funny

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

— Voltaire

War

“Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.”

— Voltaire

Imagination

“I hate women because they always know where things are.”

— Voltaire

Women

“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.”

— Voltaire

Parenting

“Society therefore is an ancient as the world.”

— Voltaire

Society

“One great use of words is to hide our thoughts.”

— Voltaire

Great

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

— Voltaire

Truth

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

— Voltaire

Power

“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

Men

“It is vain for the coward to flee death follows close behind it is only by defying it that the brave escape.”

— Voltaire

Death