Voltaire

Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.

God gave us the gift of life, it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.

I know many books which have bored their readers but I know of none which has done real evil.

It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.

The infinitely little have a pride infinitely great.

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

Anyone who seeks to destroy the passions, instead of controlling them, is trying to play the angel.

What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error, let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature.

Better is the enemy of good.

It is lamentable that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind.

Let us read and let us dance - two amusements that will never do any harm to the world.

Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.

Injustice in the end produces independence.

It is not known precisely where angels dwell, whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God's pleasure that we should be informed of their abode.

I hate women because they always know where things are.

History should be written as philosophy.

The multitude of books is making us ignorant.

History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes.

The safest course is to do nothing against one's conscience. With this secret we can enjoy life and have no fear from death.

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