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You despise books you whose lives are absorbed in the vanities of ambition, the pursuit of pleasure or indolence but remember that all the known world, excepting only savage nations, is governed by books.

Voltaire

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Voltaire
Age: 84 †
Born: 1694
Born: February 20
Died: 1778
Died: May 30
Author
Autobiographer
Correspondent
Diarist
Encyclopédistes
Essayist
Historian
Philosopher
Playwright
Poet
Poet Lawyer
Political Scientist
Paris
France
François-Marie Arouet
Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire
Francois Marie Arouet
Dictator of Letters
Remember
Ambition
Absorbed
Book
Whose
Savage
World
Drink
Governed
Books
Savages
Pleasure
Despise
Nations
Beer
Excepting
Known
Vanity
Vanities
Lives
Pursuit
Indolence

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Which is more dangerous: fanaticism or atheism? Fanaticism is certainly a thousand times more deadly for atheism inspires no bloody passion whereas fanaticism does atheism is opposed to crime and fanaticism causes crimes to be committed.
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A fool is a person who guesses and gets it wrong, a clever man is one who guesses, regardless of time period, and gets it right.
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The man who says to me, Believe as I do, or God will damn you, will presently say, Believe as I do, or I shall assassinate you.
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Quand celui à qui l'on parle ne comprend pas et celui qui parle ne se comprend pas, c'est de la métaphysique When he to whom a person speaks does not understand, and he who speaks does not understand himself, that is metaphysics.
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Chance is a word void of sense nothing can exist without a cause.
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How I like the boldness of the English, how I like the people who say what they think!
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To succeed in chaining the multitude, you must seem to wear the same fetters.
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Let us confess it: evil strides the world.
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We only half live when we only half think.
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The best is the enemy of the good.
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Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.
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Doubt is uncomfortable, certainty is ridiculous.
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The more you know, the less sure you are.
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You will notice that in all disputes between Christians since the birth of the Church, Rome has always favored the doctrine which most completely subjugated the human mind and annihilated reason.
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Love is a cloth which imagination embroiders.
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Mortals are equal their mask differs.
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Alas...I too have known love, that ruler of hearts, that soul of our soul: it's never brought me anything except one kiss and twenty kicks in the rump. How could such a beautiful cause produce such an abominable effect on you?
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If you wish to converse with me, define your terms.
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All is but illusion and disaster.
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The prudent man does himself good the virtuous one does it to other men.
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