Voltaire

Home ~ Literature ~ Aphorisms ~ Search by author ~ Voltaire Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) was born on November 21, 1694 in Paris. One of the largest French enlightenment philosophers of the 18th century, poet, prose writer, historian, publicist, human rights activist. Died in Paris - May 30, 1778.

History, apparently, only pleases when it is a tragedy, which becomes boring if passions, atrocities and great adversities do not enliven it.

Author:

Voltaire

Voltaire was once asked: where would he like to be after death - in heaven or in hell? He replied: “In heaven the climate is better, but in hell the company is so much nicer!”

Author:

Voltaire

The more you read without thinking, the more you are convinced that you know a lot, and the more you think while reading, the more clearly you see that you still know very little.

Author:

Voltaire

Chance is nothing. There is no case. We called it this action, the reason for which we do not understand. There is no action without a cause, no existence without a reason to exist.

Author:

Voltaire

People who are engaged in restoring health to others, showing an amazing combination of skill and humanity, stand above all the greats on this earth.

Author:

Voltaire

Miracles are beautiful, and to console a brother, to help a friend rise from the depths of suffering, to forgive an enemy for his errors—these are the greatest miracles in the world.

Author:

Voltaire

At all times and in all countries and in all genres, bad things abound, and good things are rare. In any profession, everything that is most unworthy appears especially brazenly.

Author:

Voltaire

An ideal government is impossible because men are endowed with passions; and if they were not endowed with passions, there would be no need for government.

Author:

Voltaire

Old age is created in order to receive grief, but it must be quite prudent in order to endure them without complaint.

Author:

Voltaire

The pride of low people is to constantly talk about themselves, while the pride of high people is to not talk about themselves at all.

Author:

Voltaire

The government entity called the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.

Author:

Voltaire

It is not poverty that is unbearable, but contempt. I can do without everything, but I don't want anyone to know about it.

Author:

Voltaire

The superstitious in society are the same as the cowardly in the army: they themselves feel and arouse panic in others.

Author:

Voltaire (Superstition)

The most necessary art at court is not to speak well, but to be able to remain silent.

Author:

Voltaire

He who does not love freedom and truth may be a powerful man, but he will never be a great man.

Author:

Voltaire

A large number of laws in a state is the same as a large number of doctors: a sign of illness and impotence.

Author:

Voltaire

To succeed in this world, stupidity alone is not enough - it also requires good manners.

Author:

Voltaire

A beautiful thought loses all its value if poorly expressed, and if it is repeated, it bores us.

Author:

Voltaire

Think how difficult it is to change yourself, and you will understand how insignificant your ability to change others is.

Author:

Voltaire

He was a great patriot, a humane man, a true friend - if, of course, it is true that he died.

Author:

Voltaire

I don't agree with what you say, but I will defend to the last drop of my blood your right to express your own point of view.

Author:

Voltaire

“What is optimism? “Alas,” said Candide, “it is a passion to claim that everything is good when in reality everything is bad.”

Author:

Voltaire

Divorce is probably almost as old as marriage. Although I suppose marriage is a week or two older.

Author:

Voltaire

When the listener does not understand the speaker, and the speaker does not know what he means, this is philosophy.

Author:

Voltaire (Philosophy)

It is not poverty that is unbearable, it is contempt. I can do without everything, but I don't want anyone to know about it.

Author:

Voltaire

Passion! These are the winds that inflate the sails of the ship, they sometimes sink it, but without them it cannot sail.

Author:

Voltaire (Passion)

Self-love is a balloon filled with wind, from which a storm bursts out as soon as you prick it.

Author:

Voltaire

I may not agree with your opinion, but I am ready to give my life for your right to express it.

Author:

Voltaire (Opinion)

I don't agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it to the bitter end.

Author:

Voltaire

The dogma of the immortality of the soul is the most comforting and at the same time the most terrifying idea.

Author:

Voltaire

Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) was born on November 21, 1694 in Paris. One of the largest French enlightenment philosophers of the 18th century, poet, prose writer, historian, publicist, human rights activist. Died in Paris - May 30, 1778.

Aphorisms, quotes, sayings, phrases Voltaire

Heaven is where I am.
I only know how to doubt.
Prejudice is the mind of fools.
The eyes of friendship are rarely wrong.
Magazines are archives of trivia.
The main thing is to get along with yourself.
Superstition makes people fools.
Competition is the food of genius.
The dress inspires respect in fools.
Surplus is an extremely necessary thing.
Dare to think for yourself.
Work eliminates boredom, vice and poverty.
Only what is natural is beautiful.
The slow hand of time smooths the mountains.
It is not inequality that is painful, but dependence.
An explained joke ceases to be a joke.
Every desire is the germ of a new sorrow.
Anything that becomes commonplace is of little value.
People easily believe what they passionately desire.
Honor is the diamond on the hand of virtue.
When the redneck starts to reason, everything is lost.
A dictionary is the universe in alphabetical order.
Lazy people are always mediocre people.
The most sensitive insults are ridicule.
If God did not exist, he would have to be invented.
Trouble is he who says all he can say.
Happiness is just a dream, and grief is reality.
Great things require tireless persistence.
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
Always enjoying means not enjoying at all.
Prejudice is an opinion not based on reason.
You cannot have a true idea of something that has not been experienced.
Backbiting is the immortal daughter of pride and idleness.
What has become funny can no longer be dangerous.
Some are useless in the first row, but shine in the second.
He who is good only for himself is good for nothing.
We never live, we only hope that we will live.
It is impossible to believe in God; not to believe in him is absurd.
Great things never happen without great obstacles.
The reader's eyes are stricter judges than the listener's ears.
All the arguments of men are not worth one feeling of a woman.
Life is like the feast of Domocles - the sword from above threatens us forever.
Kindness requires proof, but beauty does not require it.
Freedom is to depend only on laws.
An honest man can be persecuted, but not dishonored.
The Greeks, who put so little thought into so many words.
The art of being boring is to say everything.
A prolonged discussion means both sides are wrong.
He who limits his desires is always rich enough.
Stormy jealousy commits more crimes than self-interest.
Girls learn to feel faster than boys learn to think.
He who serves his homeland well does not need ancestors.
Infinitely small people have infinitely great pride.
I am an ardent friend of truth, but I do not at all want to be its martyr.
Equality is the most natural thing and at the same time a chimera.
Knowing many languages means having many keys to one lock.
All genres of art are good, except boring, but boredom is not a genre.
The greatest discords produce fewer crimes than fanaticism.
By reading authors who write well, you get used to speaking well.
Doing what you enjoy means being free.
The end of life is sad, the middle is no good, and the beginning is funny.
Work saves a person from the three main evils of boredom, vice and need.
Almost nothing great has ever been done in the world without the participation of a genius.
The more we think, the more we become convinced that we know nothing.
I do not know a single nation that has become rich as a result of victory.
Metaphysical systems are to philosophers what novels are to women.
Freedom to express one's thoughts is an essential right of a citizen.
We will leave this world as stupid and as evil as we found it.
Man is born to live in the throes of anxiety and the lethargy of boredom.
Whatever you do, trample all obstacles and love those who love you.
The further reason advances, the more fanaticism grinds its teeth.
Man is born without any principles, but with the ability to perceive them.
The most superstitious times were always the times of the most terrible crimes.
A woman is a human being who dresses, talks and undresses.
How many absurdities are said by people only out of a desire to say something new.
Kings know no more about the affairs of their ministers than cuckolds know about the affairs of their wives.
The triumph of reason lies in living in peace with those who have no reason.
I do not share your beliefs, but I will give my life so that you can express them.
The first accusation is rejected, the second hurts, the third wounds, and the fourth kills.
The same thing happens with religion as with gambling: if you start out a fool, you end up a cheater.
It only took one man to fall in love with a woman for the world to become what it is.
By digging up errors, they waste time that, perhaps, would be used to discover truths.
Optimism is the passion to claim that everything is good when in reality everything is bad.
If God created man in his own image and likeness, then man repaid him in kind.
The only way to get people to speak well of us is to act well ourselves.
Language is also of great importance because with its help we can hide our thoughts.
All my efforts boiled down to reducing people's stupidity and increasing their honesty.
Metaphysics is when the listener understands nothing and when the speaker understands no more.
The dogma of the immortality of the soul is the most comforting and at the same time the most terrifying idea.
I don't agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it to the bitter end.
I may not agree with your opinion, but I am ready to give my life for your right to express it.
Self-love is a balloon filled with wind, from which a storm bursts out as soon as you prick it.
Passion! These are the winds that inflate the sails of the ship, they sometimes sink it, but without them it cannot sail.
It is not poverty that is unbearable, it is contempt. I can do without everything, but I don't want anyone to know about it.
When the listener does not understand the speaker, and the speaker does not know what he means, this is philosophy.
Divorce is probably almost as old as marriage. Although I suppose marriage is a week or two older.
“What is optimism? “Alas,” said Candide, “it is a passion to claim that everything is good when in reality everything is bad.”
I don't agree with what you say, but I will defend to the last drop of my blood your right to express your own point of view.
He was a great patriot, a humane man, a true friend - if, of course, it is true that he died.
Think how difficult it is to change yourself, and you will understand how insignificant your ability to change others is.
A beautiful thought loses all its value if poorly expressed, and if it is repeated, it bores us.
To succeed in this world, stupidity alone is not enough - it also requires good manners.
A large number of laws in a state is the same as a large number of doctors: a sign of illness and impotence.
He who does not love freedom and truth may be a powerful man, but he will never be a great man.
The most necessary art at court is not to speak well, but to be able to remain silent.
The superstitious in society are the same as the cowardly in the army: they themselves feel and arouse panic in others.
It is not poverty that is unbearable, but contempt. I can do without everything, but I don't want anyone to know about it.
The government entity called the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.
The pride of low people is to constantly talk about themselves, while the pride of high people is to not talk about themselves at all.
Old age is created in order to receive grief, but it must be quite prudent in order to endure them without complaint.
An ideal government is impossible because men are endowed with passions; and if they were not endowed with passions, there would be no need for government.
At all times and in all countries and in all genres, bad things abound, and good things are rare. In any profession, everything that is most unworthy appears especially brazenly.
Miracles are beautiful, and to console a brother, to help a friend rise from the depths of suffering, to forgive an enemy for his errors—these are the greatest miracles in the world.
People who are engaged in restoring health to others, showing an amazing combination of skill and humanity, stand above all the greats on this earth.
Chance is nothing. There is no case. We called it this action, the reason for which we do not understand. There is no action without a cause, no existence without a reason to exist.
The more you read without thinking, the more you are convinced that you know a lot, and the more you think while reading, the more clearly you see that you still know very little.
Voltaire was once asked: where would he like to be after death - in heaven or in hell? He replied: “In heaven the climate is better, but in hell the company is so much nicer!”
History, apparently, only pleases when it is a tragedy, which becomes boring if passions, atrocities and great adversities do not enliven it.

Famous quotes and sayings of Voltaire (193 quotes)

The legendary French philosopher Voltaire was truly the one who moved humanity forward. It was his thoughts and ideas that were the basis for the development of many areas of human activity. Despite the rather difficult living conditions, even by the standards of the 17th century, he still found the opportunity to do something important. Therefore, no question arises why his works are still being taken into account in our time. But besides his works, Voltaire is also the creator of a large number of catchphrases. Famous quotes and sayings of Voltaire are collected in this section.

aaAtheism is the vice of some smart people, superstition is the vice of fools.

aaDoing what gives you pleasure means being free.

aaTo live means to work. Labor is life.

aaThe main thing is to get along with yourself.

aaWork drives away three great evils from us: boredom, vice and need.

aaReading a good book for the first time, we experience the same feeling as when making a new friend. Reading a book again means seeing an old friend again.

aHow many stupid things people say just because they want to say something.

aWe never live, but only hope that we will live.

aBy reading authors who write well, you get used to speaking well.

aIn the morning I make plans, and in the afternoon I do stupid things.

aTruth, freedom and virtue are the only things for which you need to love life.

aThe eyes of friendship are rarely mistaken.

A person is worth something only when he has his own point of view.

I still love life. This absurd weakness is perhaps one of our most fatal shortcomings: after all, nothing can be more stupid than the desire to constantly carry a burden that you want to throw off to the ground, to be horrified by your existence and drag it out.

All the honors in this world are not worth one good friend.

Dare to think for yourself.

Happiness is just a dream, but grief is real.

When there is nothing to say, they always say bad things.

A person must dream in order to see the meaning of life.

The seeker of happiness is like a drunk who cannot find his home, but knows that he has a home.

Judge a person more by his questions than by his answers.

Freedom is not something that was given to you. This is something that cannot be taken away from you.

It is a great blessing to have enemies who are unable to lie wisely.

The most superstitious eras were always the eras of the most terrible crimes.

The triumph of reason lies in the ability to get along with people who do not have it.

People in general are such rogues, such envious people, so cruel, that we consider it lucky when we find one of them who has only one weakness.

Books on the topic of the day die along with the topicality.

By reading authors who write well, you get used to speaking well.

Only the weak commit crimes: the strong and happy do not need them.

The greatest pleasure an honest man can feel is to give pleasure to his friends.

The strength of women is in the weaknesses of men.

The opportunity to do evil is given one hundred times a day, and to do good - once a year.

The greatest discords produce fewer crimes than religious fanaticism.

It would be wise, instead of being angry at the world around us, to find the courage to act.

The question of good and evil remains a chaos that those sincerely seeking an answer cannot understand, a mental game for those who only want to argue - the latter are like convicts playing with their chains.

For a fool, old age is a burden, for an ignoramus it is winter, and for a man of science it is a golden harvest.

The person who always remains the same is stupid.

Virtue and vice, moral good and evil in all countries are determined by whether a given phenomenon is useful or harmful for society.

What has become funny cannot be dangerous.

Giving out someone else's secret is treason, giving out your own is stupidity.

Opportunities to do evil are presented a hundred times a day, and opportunities to do good are presented once a year.

The same thing happens with religion as with gambling: if you start out a fool, you end up a cheater.

All the arguments of men are not worth one feeling of a woman.

All the arguments of men are not worth the opinion of one woman.

Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice, need.

The main thing is to get along with yourself.

All opposites converge in a woman's heart.

Virtue and vice, moral good and evil - in all countries are determined by whether a given phenomenon is useful or harmful for society.

aaHappiness always arrives on wings and leaves on crutches.

aaA woman can keep only one secret - the secret of her age.

aaOld age is created to receive grief, but it must be prudent enough to endure them without complaint.

aaIf God did not exist, he would have to be invented.

aaIt is not poverty that is unbearable, but contempt. I can do without everything, but I don't want anyone to know about it.

aaThe strength of women is in the weaknesses of men.

aEverything is for the best in this best of all worlds.

aReligion is about goodness, not about pathetic theological babble.

aA woman is a human being who dresses, talks and undresses.

aAlways enjoying means not enjoying at all.

aBetter late than bad.

aI am crazy about women, especially if they are beautiful and pliable.

Tears are silent speech.

Judge a person more by his questions than by his answers.

Time - there is nothing longer in the world, for it is the measure of eternity, and there is nothing shorter, for it is not enough to fulfill our desires; there is nothing slower for one who waits, nothing faster for one who tastes pleasure; it reaches infinity in the great and infinitely divides in the small; people neglect it, and when they lose it, they regret it; everything happens in time; it destroys what is unworthy in the memory of posterity.

This is why we brand lying with the greatest shame because of all bad deeds, this is the easiest to hide and the easiest to commit.

You cannot take responsibility for everyone with whom fate confronts you. If a person cannot be happy while communicating with you, there is no point in wasting your mental energy trying to change him or solve his problems. There are many other people to whom you can give joy and happiness by enjoying their company. If a love affair does not bring you satisfaction, do not cling to it.

Cold witticisms, flat ambiguity, jokes, buffoonery and false laughter, mistaken for fun, constitute the brilliance of society. Thus, the senseless and vulgar crowd takes advantage of the time that flies away.

Labor is often the father of pleasure.

Think how difficult it is to change yourself, and you will understand how insignificant your ability to change others is.

Marriage is the only adventure available to the timid.

To live means to work. Labor is human life.

There are never great things without great difficulties.

In my opinion, marriage and its bonds are either the greatest good or the greatest evil - there is no middle ground.

There are never great things without great difficulties.

When the listener does not understand the speaker, and the speaker does not know what he means, this is philosophy.

Divorce is probably almost as old as marriage. Although I guess the marriage is a few weeks older.

An explained joke ceases to be a joke.

We need words to hide our thoughts.

Stormy jealousy commits more crimes than self-interest and ambition.

The superstitious in society are the same as the cowardly in the army: they themselves feel and arouse panic in others.

What poverty, what poverty of mind, to say that animals are machines, devoid of understanding and feelings...

Gloomy jealousy follows the suspicion that guides it with a false step; in front of her, with a dagger in her hand, come hatred and anger, spilling their poison. Repentance follows.

A large number of laws in a state is the same as a large number of doctors: a sign of illness and impotence.

All the honors in this world are not worth one good friend.

If God created man in his own image and likeness, then man repaid him in kind.

Only the weak commit crimes: the strong and happy do not need them.

You cannot have a true idea of something that has not been experienced.

God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of the best shooters.

Great things require tireless persistence.

Work saves a person from three main evils - boredom, vice and need.

God should not suffer at all because of the stupidity of his priest.

If God did not exist, he would have to be invented.

Every desire is the germ of a new sorrow.

The pride of low people is to constantly talk about themselves, while the pride of high people is to not talk about themselves at all.

The same thing happens with religion as with gambling: if you start out a fool, you end up a cheater.

Infinitely small people have infinitely great pride.

All opposites converge in a woman's heart.

aaChristianity and reason are incompatible.

aaAn old poet, an old lover, an old singer and an old horse are no good.

aaGod should not suffer at all because of the stupidity of his priest.

aaTo be free is to do what gives you pleasure.

aaThe best is the enemy of the good.

aaMost people die without ever living.

aWho does not love freedom and truth may become a powerful man, but he will never be great.

aThe Fatherland is a land where the soul is captive.

a—What do people receive without expressing gratitude, what do they use without thinking, what do they pass on to others unconsciously and what do they lose without noticing it? - Life.

aFreedom is to depend only on laws.

aMy love for the fatherland does not force me to turn a blind eye to the merits of foreigners. On the contrary, the more I love my fatherland, the more I strive to enrich my country with treasures not extracted from its depths.

aUse, but do not abuse - this is the rule of wisdom. Neither abstinence nor excess brings happiness.

The greatest pleasure an honest man can feel is to please his friends.

There is no person in whom there is not something hateful, in whom a fierce beast is not hidden, but only a few honestly say how they cope with this fierce beast.

If a lady says “no”, it means “maybe”; if she says “maybe” it means “yes”; if she says yes, she is not a lady.

All the honors in this world are not worth one good friend.

The main thing is to get along with yourself.

A witty statement proves absolutely nothing.

The eyes of friendship are rarely wrong.

Use, but do not abuse - this is the rule of wisdom. Neither abstinence nor excess brings happiness.

The time has come, but the man has not.

Mathematical truth remains for eternity, but metaphysical ghosts pass away like the delirium of the sick.

Love the truth, but be lenient with error.

Looking to the future is better than dreaming about the past.

Metaphysics is when the listener understands nothing and when the speaker understands no more.

Not everything that is fact deserves to be described.

Man is created for action. Not acting and not existing are the same thing for a person.

Metaphysical systems are to philosophers what novels are to women.

The living should be treated kindly, but only the truth should be spoken about the dead.

When we read a good book for the first time, we experience the same feeling as when we make a new friend. Reading a book again means seeing an old friend again.

Ignorance is the greatest disease of humanity.

No one, of course, is born with ready-made concepts of law and justice, but human nature is designed in such a way that at a certain age these truths are naturally developed.

History is a lie that everyone agrees with.

Ignorance is the mother of prejudice.

An honest man can be persecuted, but not dishonored.

Education develops abilities, but does not create them.

Books are made from books.

Seeing and doing new things is a great pleasure.

People never feel remorse from actions that have become their custom.

The most useful books are those half of which are created by the reader himself; he develops thoughts, the germ of which is offered to him; he corrects what seems to him to be wrong, he reinforces with his comments what, in his opinion, is weak.

Action is not created for thought, but thought is created for action.

Books on the topic of the day die along with the topicality.

Man is created for action. Not acting and not existing are the same thing for a person.

Divorce is as old as marriage, although marriage is a few weeks older.

A dictionary is the universe in alphabetical order. Strictly speaking, a dictionary is a book in the broadest sense of the word. All other books are contained in it: the point is to extract them from it.

Lazy people are always mediocre people.

Prejudice is the mind of fools.

The number of facts and works is growing so quickly that in the near future it will be necessary to reduce everything to extracts and dictionaries.

aaHonor is the diamond on the hand of virtue.

aaChance is nothing. There is no case. We called it this action, the reason for which we do not understand. There is no action without a cause, no existence without a reason to exist.

aaThe more you read without thinking, the more convinced you are that you know a lot, and the more you think while reading, the more clearly you see that you still know very little.

aaAn explained joke ceases to be a joke.

aaSuccesses in science are a matter of time and courage of mind.

aThe number of facts and works is growing so quickly that in the near future it will be necessary to reduce everything to extracts and dictionaries.

aWe never live, we only hope that we will live.

aHistory is a collection of crimes, follies and misfortunes, among which there are some virtues, some happy times, just as human settlements are found here and there in the middle of a wild desert.

aHe must be an ignorant person because he answers all the questions that are asked of him.

aThe more you read without thinking, the more convinced you are that you know a lot, and the more you think while reading, the more clearly you see that you still know very little.

aLanguage is also of great importance because with its help we can hide our thoughts.

Theories are like mice: they go through nine holes and get stuck in the tenth.

Marriage is the only dangerous adventure open to even cowards.

Knowing many languages means having many keys to one lock.

People think little; they read carelessly, judge hastily, and accept opinions as they accept a coin because it is current.

I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe exists without a watchmaker.

Proclaiming the truth, offering something useful to people, is a sure way to cause persecution.

The triumph of reason lies in getting along with people who do not have it.

Heaven is where I am.

Love the truth, but be lenient with error.

Giving out someone else's secret is treason, giving out your own is stupidity.

A large number of laws in a state is the same as a large number of doctors: a sign of illness and impotence.

When the listener does not understand the speaker, and the speaker does not know what he means, this is philosophy.

To succeed in this world, it is not enough to just be stupid, you also need to have good manners.

Kings know no more about the affairs of their ministers than cuckolds know about the affairs of their wives.

Superstition in society is the same as cowardly people in the army: they themselves feel and arouse panic in others.

The person who always remains the same is stupid.

Why not raise your voice against the villains of the past, the famous founders of superstition and fanaticism, those who first grabbed a knife on the altar to slaughter the obstinate who did not want to accept their views?

Superstition is the most terrible enemy of the human mind.

How many absurdities are said by people only out of a desire to say something new.

Ignorance is the greatest disease of humanity.

The most superstitious eras were always the eras of the most terrible crimes.

Appreciation is not always eloquent.

He who limits his desires is always rich enough.

Fanaticism is to superstition what delirium is to fever, what rage is to anger.

A beautiful thought loses all its value if it is poorly expressed, and if it is repeated, it bores us.

Only the weak commit crimes: the strong and happy do not need them.

Don't be afraid to poke fun at superstitions, my friends. I know of no better way to kill superstition than to make it look ridiculous. What has become funny cannot be dangerous.

Knowing many languages means having many keys to one lock.

Reading the ancient sages, you often find something of your own.

Honor is the diamond on the hand of virtue.

Language is also of great importance because with its help we can hide our thoughts.

Seeing and doing new things is a great pleasure.

This strange concept of honor is an empty ghost mistaken for virtue, it is a love of glory, not justice, a fear of reproach, not vice. Love virtue without seeking its splendor; honor is in the heart.

The way to get bored is to say absolutely everything.

Miracles are beautiful, and to console a brother, to help a friend rise from the depths of suffering, to forgive an enemy for his errors—these are the greatest miracles in the world.

Infinitely small people have infinitely great pride.

The art of being boring is to say everything.

Voltaire short biography (Fran François-Marie Aruz) (1694 - 1778)

Voltaire quotes.
Voltaire (Francois-Marie Haruz). French philosopher. After several years of study at the Paris Jesuit College of Louis the Great, young François-Marie Arouet, at the insistence of his father, began studying law. Soon he rebelled against his parents' will and, without regret, exchanged law for the laurels of a daring poet and the joys of social life. In 1717, for composing a satire on the regent of France, the Duke of Orleans, the aspiring writer ended up in the Bastille, but a year of imprisonment did not cool his literary ardor. Already in 1718, his first significant play, Oedipus, was staged and was favorably received by the public. In the same year, its author first appeared under the pseudonym “de Voltaire.” The major epic poem "Henriad", originally called "The League", strengthened his reputation as a skillful storyteller and at the same time a fighter for ideas.

The lyrics of the young Voltaire contain attacks against absolutism. Mature prose is diverse in themes and genres: philosophical stories “Macromegas”, “Candide, or Optimism”, “Simple-minded”, tragedies in the style of classicism “Brutus”, “Tancred”, satirical poems “The Virgin of Orleans”, journalism, historical works. Voltaire's literary activity is connected with the struggle against religious intolerance and obscurantism, criticism of the feudal-absolutist system: “Philosophical Letters”, “Philosophical Dictionary”. He played a significant role in the development of world, including Russian, philosophical thought. The name of Voltaire is associated with the spread of Voltairianism in Russia - the spirit of free thought, the overthrow of authority and irony.

His work, which undermined the authority of the absolute monarchy and the feudal-clerical worldview, played a large role in preparing minds for the Great French Revolution of 1789-1794. It also contributed to the formation of a new type of personality, active, enterprising, taking responsibility for their destiny and consciously striving for their own and public well-being. In 1726 Voltaire was forced to leave Paris. His two-year stay in England strengthened his commitment to religious tolerance and political freedom. He outlined his liberal views in the famous Philosophical Letters. The “Letters” idealized the English order and painted the state of social institutions in France in the darkest light. After Voltaire returned to his homeland, the book was burned by the verdict of the Paris Parliament, and the threat of arrest hung over the author.

Deciding not to tempt fate, Voltaire then retired to Cirey, the castle of his beloved Marquise du Châtelet located in Champagne. One of the most educated women of that time, she shared Voltaire's passion for metaphysics, natural sciences, and also an interest in the Bible. They sent reports on the results of joint laboratory experiments to Paris, to the Royal Academy of Sciences. The 10 years spent in Cirey turned out to be very fruitful for Voltaire: he created there the tragedies “Alzira” and “Mohammed”, “Treatise on Metaphysics” and “Fundamentals of Newton’s Philosophy”, and wrote most of the historical work “The Age of Louis XIV”. The knowledge acquired in Cirey strengthened Voltaire against the traditional Christian picture of the world, strengthened the critical orientation of his mind, and stimulated further searches for a rational explanation of natural and social phenomena.

The militant skepticism of the Sirean period manifested itself in the work on the epic poem “The Virgin of Orleans.” Voltaire was not afraid to use the story of Joan of Arc to re-expose religious prejudices, choosing for this purpose the most powerful weapon - irony. He saw the real reason for Jeanne's success in the fact that she believed in her own strength and was able to convey her confidence to the king and the army. The tragic death of the Maid of Orleans prompts Voltaire to abandon irony; it is replaced by anger, which falls on the heads of the inquisitor fathers.

Literary fame and influential patrons secured Voltaire's position as court historiographer of France (1745). In 1746, he was elected to the French Academy, but he never managed to gain the favor of the king. The coldness of Louis XV and disappointment in the Versailles court inclined Voltaire to accept the invitation of Frederick II, to whose court he appeared in 1750. However, close to him, not only a sharp mind was revealed in Frederick, but also duplicity and despotism, which became the reason for the writer’s departure from Prussia.

In 1754 Voltaire arrived in Switzerland, where he was to spend most of the rest of his life. In the vicinity of Geneva, he bought a small estate "Delis" ("Otrada"). Here Voltaire began collaborating on the Encyclopedia of Diderot and D'Alembert. Voltaire decided to protect himself from the wrath of the Geneva clergy. In 1758, he rented the Tournay estate, and then acquired the Ferney estate, which became his “appanage principality.” Voltaire could finally afford a luxurious lifestyle. Ferney became the place where Voltaire’s educational activities unfolded for 20 years. At the age of 65, he continued to publish many literary, journalistic, philosophical and historical works, one of which is “The History of the Russian Empire under Peter the Great.”

Written at the request of the Russian government, History glorified the reformer tsar who made a sharp break with barbarism. Among other works of the Ferney period, one can note the philosophical stories “Candide” and “The Simple-minded”, “Treatise on Tolerance”, “An Essay on General History and the Morals and Spirit of the People”, “Pocket Philosophical Dictionary”, “Questions about the Encyclopedia”.

In his declining years, at 83, he decided to see Paris again. In 1778, the patriarch of the French Enlightenment arrived in the capital of France, where an enthusiastic welcome awaited him. Three months later he died.