10 Thoughtful Voltaire Quotes for Writers and Deep Thinkers
In this post, we’ve collected 10 thoughtful Voltaire quotes for writers and deep thinkers. The author of Candide and thousands of other books and pamphlets covers several topics including money, stupidity, common sense, and more.
Voltaire was the pseudonym (or nom de plume) of François-Marie Arouet. In fact, it was one of more than 100 separate pen names used by the writer, philosopher, and historian who wrote more than 20,000 letters and 2,000 books and pamphlets during his lifetime, with the most famous probably his satirical novel Candide.
The great French thinker was born in Paris on November 21, 1694, and was supposed to become a lawyer (his father's wishes anyway). But writing spoke to him more than law. On May 30, 1778, he passed away and his remains now rest in the Panthéon in Paris.
In this post, I've collected 10 thoughtful Voltaire quotes for writers and deep thinkers on topics covering money, stupidity, common sense, and more.
10 Thoughtful Voltaire Quotes for Writers and Deep Thinkers
"Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it."
"Common sense is not so common."
"Don't think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money."
*****
If you love to write and have a story you want to tell, the only thing that can stand between you and the success you’re seeking isn’t craft, or a good agent, or enough Facebook friends and Twitter followers, but fear. Fear that you aren’t good enough, or fear the market is too crowded, or fear no one wants to hear from you. Fortunately, you can’t write while being in the flow and be afraid simultaneously. The question is whether you will write fearlessly.
*****
"Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one."
"Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do."
"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."
"Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable."
"The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom."
"Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too."
"Truly, whoever can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
