Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.
From fanaticism to barbarism is only one step.
One declaims endlessly against the passions; one imputes all of man's suffering to them. One forgets that they are also the source of all his pleasures.
Happiest are the people who give most happiness to others
We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter.
All things must be examined, debated, investigated without exception and without regard for anyone's feelings.
A nation which thinks that it is belief in God and not good law which makes people honest does not seem to me very advanced.
Scepticism is the first step towards truth.
I am wholly yours - you are everything to me; we will sustain each other in all the ills of life it may please fate to inflict upon us; you will soothe my troubles; I will comfort you in yours.
Every man has his dignity. I'm willing to forget mine, but at my own discretion and not when someone else tells me to.
Whether God exists or does not exist, He has come to rank among the most sublime and useless truths.
Poetry must have something in it that is barbaric, vast and wild.
It is very important not to mistake hemlock for parsley; but not at all so to believe or not in God.
There is no moral precept that does not have something inconvenient about it.
For me, my thoughts are my prostitutes.
Life is but a series of misunderstandings.
Oh! how near are genius and madness! Men imprison them and chain them, or raise statues to them.
What is a monster? A being whose survival is incompatible with the existing order.
People stop thinking when they cease to read.
Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.
If you want me to believe in God, you must make me touch him.
The first step towards philosophy is incredulity.
The best order of things, as I see it, is the one that includes me; to hell with the most perfect of worlds, if I'm not part of it.
Nous aimons, sans nous en douter, tout ce qui nous livre à nos penchants, nous séduit et excuse notre faiblesse.
Mind what you do; if you deceive me once I shall never believe you again.
One swallows the lie that flatters, but sips the bitter truth drop by drop.
The most dangerous madmen are those created by religion, and ... people whose aim is to disrupt society always know how to make good use of them on occasion.
The enjoyment of freedom which could be exercised without any motivation would be the real hallmark of a maniac.
Nothing is duller than a progression of common chords. One wants some contrast, which breaks up the clear white light and makes it iridescent.
It is better to reveal a weakness than allow oneself be suspected of a vice.
