Voltaire

Love truth, but pardon error.

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

Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.

It is one of the superstitions of the human mind to have imagined that virginity could be a virtue.

An ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.

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

All my life affection has been showered upon me, and every forward step I have made has been taken in spite of it.

If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.

Labor, if it were not necessary for existence, would be indispensable for the happiness of man.

There is a very fine line between loving life and being greedy for it.

Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive.

No man can taste the fruits of autumn while he is delighting his scent with the flowers of spring.

As long as our civilization is essentially one of property, of fences, of exclusiveness, it will be mocked by delusions. Our riches will leave us sick; there will be bitterness in our laughter; and our wine will burn our mouth. Only that good profits, which we can taste with all doors open, and which serves all men.

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

Softness has such a power to it. When you choose to soften into something, it relaxes, opens, tension releases. Stuck energy flows like blood coursing through veins, bringing much needed oxygen. Life force and warmth enters, connection is rekindled. Find the trust you need to allow softness in; it really is healing.

Upon awakening, let the words Thank You flow from your lips, for this will remind you to begin your day with gratitude and compassion.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

I think probably kindness is my number one attribute in a human being. I’ll put it before any of the things like courage or bravery or generosity or anything else.

Youth enters the world with very happy prejudices in her own favor. She imagines herself not only certain of accomplishing every adventure, but of obtaining those rewards which the accomplishment may deserve. She is not easily persuaded to believe that the force of merit can be resisted by obstinacy and avarice, or its luster darkened by envy and malignity.

Life will not bear refinement. You must do as other people do.

The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.