Voltaire

"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."

"Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them."

"The perfect is the enemy of the good."

"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."

"Common sense is not so common."

"It is forbidden to forbid."

"I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it."

"The best is the enemy of the good."

"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd."

"Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice, and poverty."

"All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds."

"To hold a pen is to be at war."

"The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease."

"Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference."

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing: it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well."

"It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot one is sure to become a bad citizen."

"The secret of being a bore is to tell everything."

"Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy."

"Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game."

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

"Originality is nothing but judicious imitation."

"We are rarely proud when we are alone."

"The development of true friendship is a slow process."

"Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense."

"Prejudices are what fools use for reason."

"In this country it is good to kill an admiral from time to time, to encourage the others."

"It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place."

"The human brain is a complex organ with the wonderful power of enabling us to find reasons for continuing to believe whatever it is that we want to believe anyway."

"One should as a rule respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to prevent one's work from being burned in the street."

"Delay is the greatest remedy for anger."