1.
If you want to know who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize.
Voltaire
Identify who restricts your criticism.
2.
So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.
Voltaire
3.
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.
Voltaire
It is perilous to be accurate in situations where powerful individuals are mistaken.
4.
The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else's eyes.
Voltaire
The glass is a futile contrivance. The only way to accurately perceive oneself is in the gaze of another's regard.
5.
Give me the patience for the small things of life, courage for the great trials of life. Help me to do my best each day and then go to sleep knowing God is awake.
Voltaire
Pray for the fortitude to embrace the minutiae of life, bravery to face the crucial tests of life. Guide me in striving for excellence every day and then rest serenely knowing God is ever-vigilant.
6.
Many are destined to reason wrongly; others, not to reason at all; and others, to persecute those who do reason.
Voltaire
Many are doomed to misjudge; some will never contemplate; and others, to harass those who do ponder.
7.
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
Every individual must accept the circumstances life presents them with; however, it is solely up to them to determine how to employ those conditions in order to be successful.
8.
The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.
Voltaire
Opt to be in a positive state of mind.
9.
Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.
Voltaire
Assess a person based on their queries rather than their responses.
10.
The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom.
Voltaire
The more often a foolishness is reiterated, the more it acquires the aura of sagacity.
11.
Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills.
Voltaire
12.
In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to another.
Voltaire
The exercise of statecraft typically entails acquiring as much wealth as feasible from one group of people and bestowing it upon another.
13.
Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.
Voltaire
Anyone who has the capacity to make you accept untruths has the capability to make you perpetrate wrongdoings.
14.
The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by Infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity.
Voltaire
The only way to grasp what mathematicians imply by Infinity is to ruminate on the bounds of human foolishness.
15.
The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.
Voltaire
The further I delve into knowledge, the more evident it becomes that my understanding of the world is limited.
16.
It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.
Voltaire
It is hard to liberate the ignorant from the shackles they esteem.
17.
Dont think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money.
Voltaire
Do not believe wealth is a panacea or you will wind up toiling for pecuniary gain.
18.
The art of government is to make two-thirds of a nation pay all it possibly can pay for the benefit of the other third.
Voltaire
The skill of governing is to compel two-thirds of a population to contribute whatever they feasibly can for the good of the remaining third.
19.
When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. Tecumseh Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.
Voltaire
20.
Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.
Voltaire
'One should not voice every verity, only that which is honest.'
21.
Prejudices are what fools use for reason.
Voltaire
Biases are what the ignorant resort to in place of logic.
22.
Democracy is just a filler for textbooks! Do you actually believe that public opinion influences the government?
Voltaire
'Democracy is merely a talking point in educational materials! Do you truly think that the public's thoughts have an effect on policy decisions?'
23.
The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.
Voltaire
The affluent rely upon a plentiful number of the underprivileged.
24.
The darkness is at its deepest. Just before the sunrise.
Voltaire
25.
The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us
Voltaire
The more we linger on our sorrows, the more damage they can cause.
26.
Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.
Voltaire
Contemplate independently and allow others the freedom to do so likewise.
27.
If there’s life on other planets, then the earth is the Universe’s insane asylum.
Voltaire
If there are living creatures beyond our planet, then the earth is the Universe's madhouse.
28.
God created sex. Priests created marriage.
Voltaire
God fashioned intimacy. Clerics established wedlock.
29.
The more a man knows, the less he talks.
Voltaire
The more erudite one is, the less they vocalize.
30.
Common sense is not so common.
Voltaire
31.
What is history? The lie that everyone agrees on.
Voltaire
'The collective narrative of a shared falsehood.'
32.
It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.
Voltaire
33.
‎Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.
Voltaire
34.
Dare to think for yourself.
Voltaire
35.
We are all guilty of the good we did not do
Voltaire
36.
The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.
Voltaire
37.
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
38.
May God defend me from my friends: I can defend myself from my enemies.
Voltaire
39.
Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.
Voltaire
40.
What can you say to a man who tells you he prefers obeying God rather than men, and that as a result he's certain he'll go to heaven if he cuts your throat?
Voltaire
41.
We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies - it is the first law of nature.
Voltaire
42.
If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.
Voltaire
43.
The right to free speech is more important than the content of the speech.
Voltaire
44.
Beware of the words "internal security," for they are the eternal cry of the oppressor.
Voltaire
45.
Wherever my travels may lead, paradise is where I am.
Voltaire
46.
Every man can educate himself. It's shameful to put one's mind into the hands of those whom you wouldn't entrust with your money. Dare to think for yourself.
Voltaire
47.
It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.
Voltaire
48.
No opinion is worth burning your neighbor for.
Voltaire
49.
Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.
Voltaire
50.
There are two things for which animals are to be envied: they know nothing of future evils, or of what people say about them.
Voltaire
