Voltaire

He who has not the spirit of this age, has all the misery of it.

Dare to think for yourself.

The Holy Roman Empire is neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.

This self-love is the instrument of our preservation; it resembles the provision for the perpetuity of mankind: it is necessary, it is dear to us, it gives us pleasure, and we must conceal it.

Every great movement must experience three stages ridicule, discussion, adoption.

Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.

The aim of spiritual life is to awaken a joyful freedom, a benevolent and compassionate heart in spite of everything.

I am the captain of my soul.

I am living in a nightmare, from which from time to time I wake in sleep.

Often the surest way to convey misinformation is to tell the strict truth.

Our planet is being turned into a filthy and evil-smelling imperialist barrack.

There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you’ll be free if you truly wish to be.

Love is the hardest lesson in Christianity; but, for that reason, it should be most our care to learn it.

The teacher reminded us that Romes liberties were not auctioned off in a day, but were bought slowly, gradually, furtively, little by little; first with a little corn and oil for the exceedingly poor and wretched, later with corn and oil for voters who were not quite so poor, later still with corn and oil for pretty much every man that had a vote to sellexactly our own history over again.

In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior.

Solitude is dangerous to reason, without being favorable to virtue. Remember that the solitary mortal is certainly luxurious, probably superstitious, and possibly mad.

There is no more fatal blunderer than he who consumes the greater part of his life getting his living.

Truth is neither alive nor dead; it just aggravates itself all the time.

Don’t order any black things. Rejoice in his memory; and be radiant: leave grief to the children. Wear violet and purple. Be patient with the poor people who will snivel: they don’t know; and they think they will live for ever, which makes death a division instead of a bond.

The universe is wider than our views of it.

Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.