Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire)

The first king was a successful soldier;
He who serves well his country has no need of ancestors.
read more

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.]

If the bookseller happens to desire a privilege for his
merchandise, whether he is selling Rabelais or the Fathers read more

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),

Satire lies about literary men while they live and eulogy lies
about them when they die.
[Fr., La read more

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.]

But nothing is more estimable than a physician who, having
studied nature from his youth, knows the properties of read more

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),

How inexpressible is the meanness of being a hypocrite! how
horrible is it to be a mischievous and malignant read more

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),