Voltaire Speaks

Today is Voltaire’s birthday. He’s too famous for obvious quotes, not famous enough for lesser known ones, from his most intimate letters. Here are a few. (A few more may follow later.)  Forgive the lousy hurried translations.


“God does well what he does, but I dare take the liberty to ask him for a little more sunshine.” (“Dieu fait bien ce qu'il fait; mais j'oserai prendre la liberté de lui demander un peu plus de soleil.”) Letter to the Duchesse de Saxe-Gotha, March 13, 1754.

“It’s no happy fate for anyone who uses his pen to serve the public.” (“Le sort de quiconque sert le public de sa plume n'est pas heureux.”) Letter to the Comte d’Argental, March 3, 1754.

“I didn’t expect that one had to travel four hundred leagues from Paris to discover true graciousness.”  (“... je ne m'attendais pas qu'il fallut aller a quatre cents lieues de Paris pour trouver la veritable politesse.”) Letter to Pierre-Louis de Maupertuis, January 19, 1741. [V. would come to rue his words, regarding Maupertuis]

“Our French folk in general are merely big children, but as well, it’s what I always return to. The small number of thinking beings is excellent here, and pleads forgiveness for the rest.” (“Nos Français en général ne sont que de grands enfants, mais aussi, c'est a quoi je reviens toujours. Le petit nombre des êtres pensants est excellent chez nous, et demande grace pour le reste.”) Letter to Frederick II of Prussia, August 29, 1742.

“Brussels is bad news country.” (“Bruxelles est le pays des mauvaises nouvelles.”) To the Marquis d’Argenson, September 10, 1742.

“This best of all possible worlds still has a few years yet to suffer.” (“Ce meilleur des mondes possibles a encore quelques années a souffrir.”) Letter to the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha, January 28, 1758.

“There’s nothing good but liberty.” (“Il n'y a de bon que la liberté.”) Letter to d’Alambert (one of the primary authors of the Encyclopédie) March 7, 1758.

“… this stormy day we call life.” (“... cette journee orageuse qu'on appelle la vie.”) Letter to the Marquise du Deffand, March 3, 1754. Similar to “… this other hell we call earth” (“...cet autre enfer qu'on appelle la terre”), written the same month, about the only time in his life when Voltaire was genuinely depressed, even suicidal—a period of several years in the 1750s from which he’d emerge, resplendent, with Candide in 1757.

“Censorship spares the crows and wounds the doves.” (“La censure épargne les corbeaux, et blesse les colombes.”) Actually, a citation of Juvenal, the Roman poet, whom Voltaire cites in a letter on March 26, 1754, in Latin: dat veniam corvis, vexat censura colombas.


“Strange frenzy, that of certain gentlemen who absolutely want us to be miserable. I don’t appreciate a charlatan who wants to convince me that I’m sick to sell me his drugs. Keep your drugs my friend and leave my health me, but why do you cuss me out because I tell you that I’m fine and that I don’t want your orviétan?” [Orviétan was a snake oil invented by a charlatan from Orvieto, fashionable in the 17th century;] ("C’est une étrange rage, que celle de quelques messieurs qui veulent absolument que nous soyons misérables. Je n'aime point un charlatan qui veut me faire croire que je suis malade pour me vendre ses pillules. Garde ta drogue mon ami et laisse-moi ma santé mais pourquoi me dis-tu des injures parce que je me porte bien et que je ne veux point de ton orviétan?”) From a letter to W.J. Gravesande, August 1, 1741.

“A man is always right when he assumes blame with a woman.” (“Un homme a toujours raison quand il se donne le tort avec une femme.”) July 21, 1740.

“Lies scurry, truth crawls.” (“La calomnie va vite et la verite va lentement.”) Letter to Malesherbes, February 24, 1754.