Voltaire - Candide (1759)

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The malevolence of men revealed itself to his mind in all of its ugliness

Voltaire
"Optimism," said Cacambo, "What is that?" "Alas!" replied Candide, "It is the obstinacy of maintaining that everything is best when it is worst!

Voltaire
In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.

Voltaire
He was my equal in beauty, a paragon of grace and charm, sparkling with wit, and burning with love. I adored him to distraction, to the point of idolatry: I loved him as one can never love twice.

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

Voltaire
Work keeps us from three great evils, boredom, vice, and poverty.

Voltaire
Work keeps away those three great evils: boredom, vice, and poverty.

Voltaire
In this best of all possible worlds... everything is for the best.

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Fools have a habit of believing that everything written by a famous author is admirable. For my part I read only to please myself and like only what suits my taste.

Voltaire
Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.

Voltaire
Dogs, monkeys, and parrots are a thousand times less miserable than we are.

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If we do not exert the right of eating our neighbor, it is because we have other means of making good cheer

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Even in those cities which seem to enjoy the blessings of peace, and where the arts florish, the inhabitants are devoured by envy, cares and anxieties, which are greater plagues than any experienced in a town when it is under siege.

Voltaire
Do you think... that men have always massacred each other, as they do today? Have they always been liars, cheats, traitors, brigands, weak, flighty, cowardly, envious, gluttonous, drunken, grasping, and vicious, bloody, backbiting, debauched, fanatical, hypocritical, and silly?

Voltaire
We are going to a new world... and no doubt it is there that everything is for the best; for it must be admitted that one might lament a little over the physical and moral happenings of our own world.

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What! Have you no monks to teach, to dispute, to govern, to intrigue and to burn people who do not agree with them?

Voltaire
It was decided by the university of Coimbre that the sight of several persons being slowly burned in great ceremony is an infallible secret for preventing earthquakes.

Voltaire
"I have no more than twenty acres of ground," he replied, "the whole of which I cultivate myself with the help of my children; and our labor keeps off from us the three great evils - boredom, vice, and want."

Voltaire
It is not a mistress I have lost but half of myself, a soul for which my soul seems to have been made.

Voltaire
"But then to what end?" asked Candide, "was the world formed?" "To make us mad," said Martin.

Voltaire
Los Padres have everything and the people have nothing; 'tis the masterpiece of reason and justice. For my part, I know nothing so divine as Los Padres who make war on Kings of Spain and Portugal and in Europe act as their confessors; who here kill Spaniards and at Madrid send them to Heaven.

Voltaire
Nothing could be smarter, more splendid, more brilliant, better drawn up than two armies. Trumpets, fifes, hautboys, drums, cannons, formed a harmony such as never been heard in hell.

Voltaire
It does not require great art, or magnificently trained eloquence, to prove that Christians should tolerate each other. I, however, am going further: I say that we should regard all men as our brothers. What? The Turk my brother? The Chinaman my brother? The Jew? The Siam? Yes, without doubt; are we not all children of the same father and creatures of the same God?

Voltaire
If there were only one religion in England there would be danger of despotism, if there were two, they would cut each other's throats, but there are thirty, and they live in peace and happiness.

Voltaire
Ignorant readers are apt to judge a writer by his reputation. For my part, I read only to please myself. I like nothing but what makes for my purpose.

Voltaire
But for what purpose was the earth formed?" asked Candide. "To drive us mad," replied Martin.

Voltaire
It is noble to write as we think; it is the privilege of humanity.

Voltaire
Private misfortunes are public benefits; so that the more private misfortunes there are, the greater is the general good.

Voltaire
You know that these two nations [France and England] have been at war over a few acres of snow near Canada, and that they are spending on this fine struggle more than Canada itself is worth.

Voltaire
Fools admire everything in an author of reputation.

Voltaire