Books Quote by Voltaire

The only reward to be expected from literature is contempt if one fails and hatred if one succeeds.

— Voltaire

When literature becomes deliberately indifferent to the opposition of good and evil it betrays its function and forfeits all claim to excellence.

— Simone Weil

“The best a writer can hope for is hatred by the masses, revulsion among one's peers.”

— Mike Philbin

“Literature matters because it is how humanity, with all its losses and joys, can become a work of art.”

— Lisa C. Taylor

“The ultimate function of literature is to appreciate the world, sometimes indignantly, sometimes sorrowfully, but best of all to praise when it is luckily…

— John Dewey

“For me, literature is a revolutionary force, it requires courage and risk-taking, it must have the ability to thrust you out of your comfort…

— Margaret Mazzantini

“Enjoyment of literature is achieved only by reading without expectation but with anticipation.”

— David McDonald

“Good literature is one key to peace. When we stop reading each other, when we stop paying attention to each other's words and stories,…

— Dave DiGrazie

“The object of all good literature is to purge the soul of its petty troubles.”

— P.G. Wodehouse

“Even after making up one's mind to the sacrifices I had decided upon, there is always left a trace of envy for those who…

— Paul Bourget

“…This remains the great deficiency of literature: its imitation of nature cannot prepare you for the main events. For the main events, only experience…

— Martin Amis

“Where the craving for admiration and approval predominates, intellectual rigor cannot thrive, if it survives at all.”

— Maude Newton