"He shines in the second rank, who is eclipsed in the first."
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Quote collection
Voltaire quotes (page 20 of 36)
701 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"If there are atheists, who is to be blamed if not the mercenary tyrants of souls who, in revolting us against their swindles, compel some feeble spirits to deny the God whom these monsters dishonour?"
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"Friendship is the marriage of the soul, and this marriage is liable to divorce."
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"It is the flash which appears, the thunderbolt will follow."
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"The world embarrasses me, and I cannot dream that this watch exists and has no watchmaker."
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"Love has various lodgings; the same word does not always signify the same thing."
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"Satire lies about literary men while they live and eulogy lies about them when they die."
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"Everything can be borne except contempt."
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"He who has heard the same thing told by 12,000 eye-witnesses has only 12,000 probabilities, which are equal to one strong probability, which is far from certain."
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"Those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities."
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"The man who leaves money to charity in his will is only giving away what no longer belongs to him"
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"He who cannot shine by thought, seeks to bring himself into notice by a witticism."
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"The Jews have always been waiting for a Messiah, but their Messiah is for them only, not for us, a Messiah ho will give them mastery over the Christians."
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"A false science makes atheists, a true science prostrates men before the Deity"
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"When truth is evident, it is impossible for parties and factions to rise. There never has been a dispute as to whether there is daylight at noon."
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"It is up to us to cultivate our garden."
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"All succeeds with people who are sweet and cheerful."
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"What is toleration? It is the prerogative of humanity. We are all steeped in weaknesses and errors: Let us forgive one another's follies, it is the first law of nature."
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"What is faith? Is it to believe that which is evident? No. It is perfectly evident to my mind that there exists a necessary, eternal, supreme, and intelligent being. This is no matter of faith, but of reason."
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"Opinion is called the queen of the world; it is so, for when reason opposes it, it is condemned to death. It must rise twenty times from its ashes to gradually drive away the usurper."
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