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Poems List

The worthy administrators of justice are like a cat set to take care of a cheese, lest it should be gnawed by the mice. One bite of the cat does more damage to the cheese than twenty mice can do.
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It must be confessed that the inventors of the mechanical arts have been much more useful to men than the inventors of syllogisms.
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The rude beginnings of every art acquire a greater celebrity!than the art in perfection; he who first played the fiddle was looked upon as a demigod.
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Adultery is an evil only inasmuch as it is a theft; but we do not steal that which is given to us.
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Pleasantry is never good on serious points, because it always regards subjects in that point of view in which it is not the purpose to consider them.
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Hope should no more be a virtue than fear; we fear and we hope, according to what is promised or threatened us.
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Men hate the individual whom they call avaricious only because nothing can be gained from him.
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Great men have all been formed either before academies or independent of them.
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The pleasure of governing must certainly be exquisite, if we may judge from the vast numbers who are eager to be concerned with it.
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The question of good and evil remains in irremediable chaos for those who seek to fathom it in reality. It is a mere mental sport to the disputants, who are captives that play with their chains.
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Identification and basic context

Voltaire is the pseudonym of François-Marie Arouet. He was a French writer, historian, and philosopher, one of the greatest figures of the Enlightenment. Born in Paris on November 21, 1694, he died in Paris on May 30, 1778. He was the son of a notary and grew up in a bourgeois and intellectually stimulating environment. His nationality was French, and he wrote in French.

Childhood and education

From an early age, he showed a keen intellect and a taste for literature. He was educated at the Collège Louis-le-Grand in Paris, where he received a solid classical education. He was influenced by thinkers such as John Locke and Isaac Newton, and by the ideas circulating in Parisian salons. His youth was marked by a rebellious temperament and a desire to question established norms.

Literary career

He began his literary career with plays and poems that quickly brought him fame, but also trouble with the authorities due to their critical and satirical content. He wrote throughout his life, evolving from more classical forms to more direct and incisive prose. He collaborated with various publications and was an assiduous correspondent.

Work, style, and literary characteristics

Among his most famous works are "Candide, or Optimism," "English Letters" (or "Philosophical Letters"), and "The Philosophical Dictionary." His dominant themes include reason, tolerance, justice, criticism of organized religion and superstition, and the defense of civil liberty. He used various literary genres, adapting the form to his purpose. His style is marked by clarity, biting irony, humor, and argumentative precision. He was an innovator in philosophical prose and the essay, making complex ideas accessible to the general public. His thought is associated with the Enlightenment.

Cultural and historical context

Voltaire lived in a period of great transformations in Europe, the Age of Enlightenment, marked by monarchical absolutism, the rise of the bourgeoisie, and the development of rationalist thought. He was a contemporary of Rousseau, Diderot, and Montesquieu, with whom he shared and debated ideas. His critical stance towards the Church and the State led him to face censorship and exile on several occasions.

Personal life

Voltaire had a complex and intense personal life. He maintained relationships with influential figures in court and intellectual circles. He had a long and tumultuous relationship with Émilie du Châtelet. He was known for his intellectual liveliness and his determination to defend his ideas, even in the face of persecution.

Recognition and reception

Although frequently censored and persecuted, Voltaire enjoyed great intellectual prestige in Europe. He was admired by many, but also criticized by others for his secular and critical views. His work was widely read and discussed, and he himself was an influential public figure.

Influences and legacy

Voltaire was influenced by thinkers such as Locke and Newton. In turn, he exerted an immense influence on Western thought, from the French Revolution to contemporary debates on religious freedom and freedom of expression. He is considered one of the fathers of liberal and secular thought.

Interpretation and critical analysis

Voltaire's work is often analyzed from the perspective of the defense of reason against superstition and the fight against intolerance. His criticisms of religion and the church are a central point of debate. His irony and sarcasm are essential tools in his argumentation.

Curiosities and lesser-known aspects

Voltaire was one of the first authors to build a public persona as an engaged and controversial intellectual. He had a sharp wit and an unparalleled ability for retort. He was a successful businessman, having accumulated considerable wealth.

Death and memory

Voltaire died in Paris in 1778. His death was a public event, and his body was later transferred to the Panthéon in Paris, a symbol of his recognition as one of the great figures of the French nation.