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He shines in the second rank, who is eclipsed in the first.
Voltaire
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Voltaire
Age: 84 †
Born: 1694
Born: February 20
Died: 1778
Died: May 30
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Autobiographer
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Paris
France
François-Marie Arouet
Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire
Francois Marie Arouet
Dictator of Letters
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Second
More quotes by Voltaire
An infallible method of making fanatics is to persuade before you instruct.
Voltaire
History is only the register of crimes and misfortunes.
Voltaire
What would constitute useful history? That which should teach us our duties and our rights, without appearing to teach them.
Voltaire
When we cannot use the compass of mathematics or the torch of experience...it is certain we cannot take a single step forward.
Voltaire
I never approved either the errors of his book, or the trivial truths he so vigorously laid down. I have, however, stoutly taken his side when absurd men have condemned him for these same truths.
Voltaire
All the citizens of a state cannot be equally powerful, but they may be equally free
Voltaire
The true character of liberty is independence, maintained by force.
Voltaire
Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.
Voltaire
Whatever you do, crush the infamous thing, and love those who love you.
Voltaire
We have our arts, the ancients had theirs... We cannot raise obelisks a hundred feet high in a single piece, but our meridians are more exact.
Voltaire
It is not more surprising to be born twice than once everything in nature is resurrection.
Voltaire
It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.
Voltaire
We admit, in geometry, not only infinite magnitudes, that is to say, magnitudes greater than any assignable magnitude, but infinite magnitudes infinitely greater, the one than the other. This astonishes our dimension of brains, which is only about six inches long, five broad, and six in depth, in the largest heads.
Voltaire
The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom.
Voltaire
Many are destined to reason wrongly others, not to reason at all and others, to persecute those who do reason.
Voltaire
You can never correct your work well until you have forgotten it.
Voltaire
We are all full of weakness and errors let us mutually pardon each other our follies - it is the first law of nature.
Voltaire
The little may contrast with the great, in painting, but cannot be said to be contrary to it. Oppositions of colors contrast but there are also colors contrary to each other, that is, which produce an ill effect because they shock the eye when brought very near it.
Voltaire
Sensual pleasure passes and vanishes, but the friendship between us, the mutual confidence, the delight of the heart, the enchantment of the soul, these things do not perish and can never be destroyed.
Voltaire
There's scarce a point whereon mankind agree - So well as in their boast of killing me I boast of nothing, but when I've a mind - I think I can be even with mankind
Voltaire
