Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire) Quotes, Quotations, and Sayings

16 Famous Quotes by Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire)
[1-16] 
“All styles are good except the tiresome kind. [Fr., Tous les genres sont bons, hors le genre ennuyeux.]”
Style Quotes
Source: L'Enfant Prodigue--Preface
“The flowery style is not unsuitable to public speeches or addresses, which amount only to compliment. The lighter beauties are in their place when there is nothing more solid to say; but the flowery style ought to be banished from a pleading, a sermon, or a didactic work. - Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire),”
Style Quotes
Source: Philosophical Dictionary--Style
“If the bookseller happens to desire a privilege for his merchandise, whether he is selling Rabelais or the Fathers of the Church, the magistrate grants the privilege without answering for the contents of the book. - Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire),”
Publishing Quotes
Source: A Philosophical Dictionary--Books (sec. 1)
“How inexpressible is the meanness of being a hypocrite! how horrible is it to be a mischievous and malignant hypocrite. - Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire),”
Hypocrisy Quotes
Source: A Philosophical Dictionary--Philosopher (sec. I)
“Common sense is not so common. [Fr., Le sens commun n'est pas si common.] - Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire),”
Sense Quotes
Source: Philosophical Dictionary--Self Love
“Injustice in the end produces independence. [Fr., L'injustice a la fin produit l'independance.]”
Independence Quotes
Source: Tancrede (III, 2)
“Our country is that spot to which our heart is bound. [Fr., La patrie est aux lieux ou l'ame est enchainee.]”
Love of country Quotes
Source: Le Fanatisme (I, 2)
“Satire lies about literary men while they live and eulogy lies about them when they die. [Fr., La satire ment sur les gens de lettres pendant leur vie, et l'eloge ment apres leur mort.]”
Satire Quotes
Source: Lettre a Bordes
“We cannot wish for that we know not. [Fr., On ne peut desirer ce qu'on ne connait pas.]”
Wishes Quotes
Source: Zaire (I, 1)
“Wishers and woulders be small householders.”
Wishes Quotes
Source: Zaire (I, 1)
“The first king was a successful soldier; He who serves well his country has no need of ancestors. [Fr., Le premier qui fut roi, fut un soldat heureux; Qui sert bien son pays, n'a pas besoin d'aleux.]”
Royalty Quotes
Source: Merope (I, 3)
“Your Majesty may think me an impatient sick man, and that the Turks are even sicker.”
Turkey Quotes
Source: to Catherine II, see the "Rundschau", Apr., 1878
“But nothing is more estimable than a physician who, having studied nature from his youth, knows the properties of the human body, the diseases which assail it, the remedies which will benefit it, exercises his art with caution, and pays equal attention to the rich and the poor. - Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire),”
Medicine Quotes
Source: A Philosophical Dictionary--Physicians
“The first step, my son, which one makes in the world, is the one on which depends the rest of our days. [Fr., Le premier pas, mon fils, que l'on fait dans le monde, Est celui dont depend le reste de nos jours.]”
Beginnings Quotes
Source: L'Indiscret (I, i)
“I have always made one prayer to God, a very short one. Here it is: "My God, make our enemies very ridiculous!" God has granted it to me.”
Ridicule Quotes
Source: Letter to M. Damilaville, May 16, 1767
“It is today, my dear, that I take a perilous leap. [Fr., C'est demain, me belle amie, que je fais le saut perilleux.]”
Last words Quotes
Source: quoting the words of King Henry when he was about to enter the Catholic Church