Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire)

The flowery style is not unsuitable to public speeches or
addresses, which amount only to compliment. The lighter beauties read more

The flowery style is not unsuitable to public speeches or
addresses, which amount only to compliment. The lighter beauties
are in their place when there is nothing more solid to say; but
the flowery style ought to be banished from a pleading, a sermon,
or a didactic work.
- Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire),

Your Majesty may think me an impatient sick man, and that the
Turks are even sicker.

Your Majesty may think me an impatient sick man, and that the
Turks are even sicker.

The first step, my son, which one makes in the world, is the one
on which depends the rest read more

The first step, my son, which one makes in the world, is the one
on which depends the rest of our days.
[Fr., Le premier pas, mon fils, que l'on fait dans le monde,
Est celui dont depend le reste de nos jours.]

Satire lies about literary men while they live and eulogy lies
about them when they die.
[Fr., La read more

Satire lies about literary men while they live and eulogy lies
about them when they die.
[Fr., La satire ment sur les gens de lettres pendant leur vie, et
l'eloge ment apres leur mort.]

How inexpressible is the meanness of being a hypocrite! how
horrible is it to be a mischievous and malignant read more

How inexpressible is the meanness of being a hypocrite! how
horrible is it to be a mischievous and malignant hypocrite.
- Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire),