History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up. — Voltaire Copy Share Image
“All our ancient history, as one of our wits remarked, is no more than accepted fiction.” — Voltaire Copy Share Image
History is but the record of crimes and misfortunes. L'histoire n'est que le tableau des crimes et des malheurs — Voltaire Copy Share Image
A historian has many duties... the first is not to slander; the second is not to bore — Voltaire Copy Share Image
The man who ventures to write contemporary history must expect to be attacked both for everything he has said and everything he… — Voltaire Copy Share Image
History is only the pattern of silken slippers descending the stairs to the thunder of hobnailed boots climbing upward from below. — Voltaire Copy Share Image
History in general is a collection of crimes, follies, and misfortunes among which we have now and then met with a few… — Voltaire Copy Share Image
History is the recital of facts represented as true. Fable, on the other hand, is the recital of facts represented as fiction. — Voltaire Copy Share Image
What would constitute useful history? That which should teach us our duties and our rights, without appearing to teach them. — Voltaire Copy Share Image
This agglomeration which was called and which still calls itself the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. — Voltaire Copy Share Image
A torch lighted in the forests of America set all Europe in conflagration. — Voltaire Copy Share Image
“There is the history of opinions which is hardly anything but a collection of human errors.” — Voltaire Copy Share Image
The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing. — Voltaire Copy Share Image
Indeed, history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes. — Voltaire Copy Share Image
History contains little beyond a list of people who have accommodate themselves with other people's property. — Voltaire Copy Share Image
All the ancient histories, as one of our wits say, are just fables that have been agreed upon — Voltaire Copy Share Image
The history of human opinion is scarcely anything, more than the history of human errors — Voltaire Copy Share Image
In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense. — Voltaire Copy Share
Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked. — Voltaire Copy Share
It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude. — Voltaire Copy Share
Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion. — Voltaire Copy Share
Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion… — Voltaire Copy Share
Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them — Voltaire Copy Share
When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not? — Voltaire Copy Share
Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively. — Voltaire Copy Share
God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well. — Voltaire Copy Share
Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life — Voltaire Copy Share
Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts. — Voltaire Copy Share
