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Detail of Biography - Francois Marie Arouet, Voltaire
Name :
Francois Marie Arouet, Voltaire
Date :
Views :
507
Category :
Birth Date :
21/11/1694
Birth Place :
Paris.
Death Date :
May 30, 1778
Biography - Francois Marie Arouet, Voltaire
Voltaire ! A name that excites the admiration of men, the malignity of priests…Pronounce that name…from the mouth of forgiveness will pour a Niagara of vituperation and calumny. And yet Voltaire was the greatest man of his century, and did more to free the human race than any other of the sons of men. [br /]
[b]– Joseph Lewis, biographer[/b][br /]
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Voltaire’s father was unable to make a lawyer out of a genius. [br /]

– Clarence Darrow, famous essayist[br /]
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“Religion, what crimes are committed in thy name.” [br /]
[b]– Madame Roland, writer[/b][br /]
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“At the mention of Voltaire’s name, the mask of hypocrisy would fall from the face of every priest and hypocrite.” [br /]

[b]– Robert G. Ingersoll, orator[/b][br /]
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“He bequeathed a lesson to humanity, which has lost nothing of its value. He taught men to think clearly, his war a mind at once precise and generous. He is the necessary philosopher in a world of bureaucrats, engineers and producers.” [br /]
[b]– Gustave Lanson[/b][br /]
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[b]Childhood[/b][br /]
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At the time of Francois’ birth, the condition of the French people was pitiful. Misery, poverty, ignorance and tyranny held the people under a vice-like grip. This condition was prevalent for many generations. No ray of light penetrated their dark gloomy existence. They were doomed to perpetual slavery. They resigned themselves to the will of God. Any rebellion was put down by instruments of torture as the state and the church plundered the poor.[br /]
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Robert G Ingersoll, an orator and a political analyst, considers the birth of Voltaire as one of the most important day in the history of mankind. Born Francois Marie Arouet, Voltaire was born on November 21, 1694 in Paris. He was puny, sickly and ugly child of a humble parentage. According to Ingersoll – “This anemic and cynically faced individual made the time in which he lived, momentous.” The period might well be called the ‘Age of Voltaire’. He received an excellent education at a Jesuit School. He attended the Jesuit College of Louis-le-Grand in Paris. Here, he learned to love literature, theatre and social life. The college instilled in him religious instruction, which aroused his skepticism and mockery.[br /]
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Francois Marie Arouet’s birth-date is shrouded in mystery. He was born in a middle class family in Paris. According to his birth certificate he was born on November 21, 1694, a general opinion prevails that his birth-date has been kept a secret. Voltaire himself stated on several occasions that his birth took place on February 20. He believed that he was the son of an officer named Rochebrume, who was also a songwriter. Voltaire had no love for either of his parents. Francois Arouet from whom he got his name was a notary. Nothing is known about his mother, except that she died when he was seven years old.[br /]
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Francois did not have a loving family. He attached himself to his godfather, a freethinker who presented him to the famous, 84-year-old courtesan Nino de Leuclos. Francois owed his positive outlook and sense of reality to his bourgeois origin.[br /]
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At a very tender age, he lisped in verse. His eyes possessed a peculiar brilliance and his father winced under the piercing look of his strangely smiling son, whose questions penetrated with the sharpness of steel. As a child he was very frail, so his father tried to apprentice him in a proper occupation, so that he might grow to be respectable and dutiful.[br /]
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[b]Youth[/b][br /]
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Royalty lived in wild extravagance of silks and satins. They lived in gilded palaces and magnificent halls, all wrung from the blood, sweat and tears of the people.[br /]
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Magic and superstition were the physicians of that time. It was sacrilege to resort to medicine – a blasphemy to call the doctor. Every fraud was practiced under the guise of religion. Francois who started lisping in verse was taught all the Jesuitical scriptures and rituals in the belief that they were training the greatest Jesuit of them all.[br /]
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Francois was not beguiled by these tricks. He sympathized with the downtrodden. He lived to plague the church through ‘inked’ assaults.[br /]
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Francois was a continual worry to his father. He feared that his son would land him up in some mischief and thus bring misfortune to the family. He finally persuaded him to enter the profession of Advocate. Francois was soon disgusted with the profession because it was apparent what a mockery was being made of the fundamental instrument of justice. Instead of protecting the weak against the strong, the arm of the law was itself committing atrocities on them. After two years of effort to reconcile himself with the legal profession, he quit.[br /]
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Francois was employed as a secretary at the French embassy in Hague. There, he became infatuated with the daughter of an adventurer. Fearing scandal the French Ambassador sent him back to Paris.[br /]
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Despite his fathers wish he devoted himself wholly to literature and frequented the temple, then the center of free thinking society.[br /]
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After the death of Louis XIV, Francois became the wit of Parisian society and his epigrams were widely quoted. When he dared to mock the Regent and ridicule the French government, he was imprisoned in the Bastille for 11 long months where he wrote his first major play Oedipe in 1717. In 1718, he adopted his pen name Voltaire.[br /]
[br /]


During that period, England was looked upon with envy because it enjoyed freedom of expression. This freedom was met with a stern rebuke by the French aristocrats and their Catholic mentors. The nobles and the high priests were the lords and masters of the destinies of the people. Any great writer who expressed his thoughts in words paid the penalty for the ‘crime’. The works of Newton were forbidden from publication, while Rousseau was banished and his works burned.[br /]
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Voltaire, with magnetic charm and uncanny power, took up cudgels to fight this authoritative stance. Voltaire felt the main duty of the people around him to be the ‘will to believe’, whereas his philosophy, on the contrary, was the ‘courage to doubt’. Voltaire questioned the infallibility of the church. He was not so much concerned with the love of God as he cared for truth and humanity. He did not seek a seat in heaven, he wanted the approval and esteem of mankind. Voltaire’s path was beset with a multitude of obstacles. His writings had a telling effect and he began to feel the pressure. He was banished from Paris. Every time he launched his attack with renewed vigor, once his exile was over. Voltaire was a frequent visitor and a celebrated prisoner at Bastille. He made his cell famous, which was later known as ‘Voltaire’s room’.
Voltaire could never remain a silent spectator when atrocities were committed in the name of religion. In Toulouse, the clergy enjoyed absolute domination. In those days a Protestant could not enjoy a high position in society as he was barred from all professions. There lived a Protestant family named Calas. One of the sons had accepted Catholic faith, as, to remain a Protestant was an insurmountable barrier in both social and business life. Another son, in order to pursue his studies at law, concealed the fact that he was a Protestant. However, on discovery of the fact, he was subjected to severe punishment.[br /]
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Voltaire heard of this case and secured a reversal of the verdict, as the Catholic Church stood convicted before the world for its heinous atrocities. He was hereafter known as the ‘preserver of Calas’. Inspired by this incident, he wrote Treatise on Toleration.[br /]
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When Voltaire saw a flagrant violation being committed, he neither thought of the repercussions nor societal approbations of his actions. Oblivious of the fact whether he would be exiled or sent to Bastille, he went about guided by his own conscience. According to him “The worst of the worthy sort of people is that they are such cowards. A man groans over wrongs, he shuts his eyes, he takes his supper, he forgets.”[br /]
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In another incident, a Protestant girl was kidnapped and placed in the convent of Black Sisters in an attempt to convert her to Catholicism. The law permitted a Catholic to take a Protestant child for such a purpose. The whole family was affected and in sheer frustration the girl committed suicide. The mother died of exposure.[br /]
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Only the father survived who with the surviving family members, left for Switzerland, the haven for the persecuted and oppressed. The destitute family knew that there was only one man in the world who would understand and help them – Voltaire. He was truly an angel in disguise and a savior of the downtrodden. Voltaire continued to labor over the case for 10 years and finally got them exonerated restoring their rights and property.[br /]
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In another incident, a gentleman, M Espionasse was tried and sentenced for giving supper to a Protestant clergyman. After having passed 23 long years in a dungeon, Voltaire interceded on his behalf and secured his release.[br /]
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Yet another incident took place in the town of Abbeville in 1765. An old wooden cross on a bridge over the Somme river was mutilated and hacked with a knife and another crucifix on one of the cemeteries was spotted with mud. This crime was so flagrant that it was “worthy of the severest punishment known to the world’s law”.[br /]
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Two young men, Chevaliers de la Barre and d’Extallonde were accused. The former one was arrested because he had banned a procession bearing the sacrament without taking off his hat and the latter for possessing Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary.[br /]
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Voltaire expressed his distress saying that people were worse than tigers. Tigers killed only for food, but people butcher one another on account of something that we know nothing about.[br /]
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True to the traditions, Voltaire immediately wrote a pamphlet about the case. A statue of the Chevalier de la Barre was erected as a vindication of the boy and as a warning to the church. Voltaire then vowed to ‘Crush the Infamous’.[br /]
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[b]Fame[/b][br /]
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Voltaire’s literary career made him famous among the aristocratic circle and he became known in Paris saloons for his brilliant and sarcastic wit. During his numerous exiles, he spent two year in London, when he mastered English language.[br /]
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Voltaire was the guest of Gabrielle Emilie de Breteuil, Marquise du Chatelet, another great intellect of the 18th century. Located in the Haute-Marne, about 150 miles from Paris, the Chateau de Cirey was marked by the presence of Voltaire who lived there for 15 years from 1734 to 1749.[br /]
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During his stay at Cirey, Voltaire traveled to Paris and Versailles and became acquainted with Marquise de Pompadour, the famous mistress of Louis XV, and became a court favorite. He was first appointed historiographer of France, and then a gentleman of the King’s bedchamber. In 1746, he was elected to the French Academy. In 1749 after the death of Château, Voltaire accepted a long-standing invitation from Frederick II of Prussia to become a permanent resident at the Prussian court. He journeyed to Berlin in 1750 to stay there about two years. Voltaire’s acidulous wit clashed with the King’s autocratic temper and led to frequent disputes.[br /]
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The death of Mme du Châtelet shattered him because she had been his guide and counselor for 15 long years. He returned in despair to the house in Paris where they had lived together. He would rise in the night and wander in the darkness, calling her name. Voltaire then left Prussia on March 26, 1753 where he had a controversy with the president of Frederick’s academy of science, the Berlin Academy. In a pamphlet entitled Diatribe du docteur Akakia he ridiculed him. The enraged King consigned Akakia to flames and held Voltaire under house arrest at an inn in Frankfurt. Louis XV also forbade him to approach France. He stayed at Colmar for more than a year, and later proceeded to Asylum at Geneva, where he purchased a house called les Délices, while at the same time securing winter quarters at Lausanne.[br /]
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In Geneva, he was welcomed and honored as the champion of tolerance. Soon, he made those around him feel uneasy. At his Délices, his presentation of plays was barred according to the law of Geneva, which prohibited both public and private theatre performances.[br /]
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Voltaire’s volatile intelligence attracted Calvinist pastors, women, and young people who thronged at his saloon. Here also he provoked hostility among important Swiss intellectuals. Voltaire, in his Diderot’s Encyclopédié asked the city of Calvin to rebuild a dilapidated theatre. The paintings on the walls expressing the feelings of the pastors were appreciated for the doubts they expressed on the Christ divinity. The scandal evoked a quick-fire response. The encyclopedia was forced to stop publication. Rousseau attacked the morality of theatrical performances, and his view that drama might well be abolished, marked a final break between the two writers.[br /]
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Voltaire no longer felt safe in Geneva. He retired with his companions to the shores of Propontis. He discovered that the secret of happiness was to ‘cultivate one’s garden.’[br /]
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He bought a property, named Ferney in the later half of 1758, while journeying in France, on the Swiss border. By crossing the frontier, he safeguarded himself against police incursion from either country.[br /]
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[b]Active Life[/b][br /]
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At Ferney, Voltaire entered into one of his most active periods of his life. As the lord of the manor he developed a modern estate. He played a major part in the agricultural reform which interested the aristocracy at that time. He could not be a silent spectator to the happenings around him. He stirred up village feuds and went before the magistrates on the question of tithes (kind of levy) and beating of one of the workmen.[br /]
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He renovated the church and had ‘Voltaire erected this to God’ carved on the façade. At an Easter Communion in 1762, he delivered a sermon on stealing and drunkenness. He meddled in Genevan politics, taking the side of the workers in order to help them. He installed a stocking factory and watch works on his estate. He also made an unsuccessful attempt to liberate Serfs in the Jura.[br /]
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[b]Political Career[/b][br /]
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His intervention in local politics earned him enormous popularity. In 1777, he received a popular acclamation from the people of Ferney. Later in 1815, the Congress of Vienna halted the annexation of Ferney to Switzerland in his honor.[br /]
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Voltaire’s fame spread worldwide as the ‘Innkeeper of Europe’. He maintained an enormous correspondence. He renewed his correspondence with Fredrick II and exchanged letters with Catherine II of Russia.[br /]
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Voltaire did not limit himself to one particular interest. He tried his hands on all forms of literature and metaphysics. He was a good orator and a liberal by his political ideas. He also admired the authority of kings who imposed progressive measures on their people.[br /]
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His main interest was his opposition to ‘I’ infâme’ a word he used to designate the church, especially when it was identified with intolerance. For the future of mankind, he envisaged a simple theism, reinforcing the civil power of the state.[br /]
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Voltaire repeatedly returned to his chosen themes – the establishment of religious tolerance, the growth of material prosperity, respect for the rights by the abolition of torture and useless punishments, during this period.[br /]
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[b]End of Career[/b][br /]
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It was the theatre that brought him back to Paris in 1778. Wishing to direct the rehearsals of Irene, he made his triumphal return on February 10 to the city he had not seen for about 28 years. More than 300 people thronged around him on his arrival. On March 30, he went to theatre amidst acclamations and Irene was played before a delirious audience. There he was crowned in his box. His health was impaired by all this excitement and on May 18, he suffered uremia attack. On May 30, Voltaire passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was given a Christian burial by the clergy. During the Revolution of 1791, his remains were transferred to the Pantheon, the final resting-place for this great son of France.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]

Francois Marie Arouet used the pseudonym Voltaire. He was a French author and leader of the ‘Enlightenment Movement’. He was a crusader against tyranny and bigotry and noted for his satire, wit and critical capacity. He raised his voice to lift the downtrodden. His writings spoke volumes about the prevalent conditions.[br /]
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He always labored for the progress of humanity. His literary efforts fill more than 90 volumes. But the work that Voltaire did for mankind, the good he accomplished, the progress he is responsible for, could never be compressed into a thousand volumes. He was a man of genius. He provided mankind with every weapon ‘and left nothing for us to do, but to carry on’.[br /]
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[b]1694[/b][br /]

Birth of Voltaire[br /]
[br /]


[b]1717[/b][br /]

Confined in the Bastille for 11 months.[br /]
[br /]


[b]1718[/b][br /]

Adopted his pen name Voltaire.
[br /]
[br /]

[b]1726[/b][br /]

Exiled for insulting a noble man[br /]
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[b]1726-1729[/b][br /]

Lived in England[br /]
[br /]


[b]1734[/b][br /]

His religious and political writings earned him a warrant. Voltaire eluded arrest and took refuge at Cirey in Champagne[br /]
[br /]


[b]1739[/b][br /]

Visited Brussels, Belgium, Cirey and Paris because of a lawsuit he.[br /]
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[b]1742-43[/b][br /]

On a secret mission to Prussia[br /]
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[b]1745[/b][br /]

Appointed historiographer[br /]
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[b]1748[/b][br /]

He was a disillusioned man when he came to know his lady love having an affair.[br /]
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[b]1749[/b][br /]

Death of Mme du Chatelet[br /]
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[b]1750[/b][br /]

He set out for Berlin on the request of Fredrick the II.[br /]
[br /]



[b]1753[/b][br /]

Held under house arrest at an inn at Frankfurt.[br /]
[br /]


[b]1759[/b][br /]

Purchased an estate called Ferney.[br /]
[br /]


[b]1762[/b][br /]

Installed a stocking factory and watch works on his estate.[br /]
[br /]


[b]1777[/b][br /]

Received popular acclamation from the people of Ferney.[br /]
[br /]


[b]February 10, 1778[/b][br /]

Returned to Paris.[br /]
[br /]


[b]May 30, 1778[/b][br /]

Death of Voltaire.[br /]
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[b]Chronology Of Works[/b][br /]
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[b]1717[/b][br /]

Satirical verses ridiculing the French government.[br /]
[br /]


[b]1718[/b][br /]

First major play ‘Oedipe’.[br /]

La pur et (For and against) his first philosophical poem. [br /]

Histoire de Charles XII[br /]
[br /]


[b]1734[/b][br /]

English or Philosophical Letters –[br /]

Elements of the Philosophy of Newton [br /]

Lettres Philosophiques [br /]

Le Mondain[br /]
[br /]


[b]1736[/b][br /]

Alzire [br /]

Mérope – A mythical Greek Queen won public acclaim.[br /]

Mahomet – in 1942[br /]
[br /]


[b]1745[/b][br /]

Poéme de Eontenoy[br /]
[br /]


[b]1747[/b][br /]

Zadig – an allegorical autobiography[br /]
[br /]


[b]1750[/b][br /]

Siécle de Louis XIV – a historical study of the times of Louis XIV (1638-1715)[br /]
[br /]


[b]1752[/b][br /]

Micromégas – stories[br /]
[br /]


[b]1755[/b][br /]

Essai sur les moewrs[br /]
[br /]


[b]1756[/b][br /]

Essay on General History and on the Customs and the Character of Nations [br /]

The Lisbon Disaster – Philosophical poem[br /]
[br /]


[b]1759 [/b][br /]

Candide – Philosophical Novel[br /]
[br /]


[b]1760[/b][br /]

The Tragedy Tancréde[br /]

L’ Ecossaise A sentimental comedy[br /]
[br /]


[b]1764[/b][br /]

Disctionarie Philosophique [br /]

Treastise on Toleration[br /]
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[b]WORKS[/b][br /]
[br /]


Voltaire’s works portrayed the atrocities that happened during his time. He was well versed in writing satirical verses, which always landed him in trouble. His undaunted courage made him speak openly and criticize even the government. He was never blind to the inhuman behavior meted out to fellow human beings. Being sympathetic to the poor, he expressed his intolerance to the highhandedness of the elite and the clergy through his writings.[br /]
[br /]


He was undeterred by his sojourns to the prison. In the prison, he gave flight to his imagination and wrote many a masterpiece, of which Oedipe was his first major play. He did not restrict himself to one type or mode of writings. He tried his hand on all forms of literature and excelled in most of them. His writings comprised books, plays, pamphlets and letters. His literary career led him to move in aristocratic circles that made him famous for his brilliant wit. His literary career was intermingled with criticisms of his period through masterpieces. His first philosophical poem had Henry IV as the hero. In this, he gave an outlet to his anti-Christian views and his rationalist, deist creed.[br /]
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[b]Poem de la ligue (Poem of the League)[/b][br /]
[br /]


Before its publication, Voltaire had to spend two years in London. Voltaire soon mastered the English language in order to prepare the British public for the publication of the ‘Poem of the League’. He wrote in English two remarkable essays, one on epic poetry and the other on the history of civil war in France. For a few years the French government prevented its publication. The poem was renamed La Henriade and published in 1728. Voltaire composed his epic in the thick of the dispute then raging over the relative merits of ancient and modern learning, which considered Aristotle and Homer as symbols of the ancients in science and literature respectively. Voltaire believed that he was conforming to the epic rules by commencing his work with the siege of Paris and concluding with its fall. After reading La Henriade, Rousseau felt that its principal flaw was its lack of ‘the marvelous, the soul of the epic poem’.
Voltaire’s intention in learning English was to make the British public aware of his writings. He published an enlarged edition of the Poem of the League in 1823. This was re-titled La Henriade, published in 1728. This work was an ‘eloquent defence of religious toleration’. This book earned wide acclaim not only in France but also throughout Europe.[br /]
[br /]


Back in Paris, he devoted most of his time to literary compositions. In 1734, he published English or Philosophical Letters. It was a scathing attack upon the political and ecclesiastical institutions of France. He always proved that the pen was mightier than the sword. His pungent remarks resulted in another exile.[br /]
[br /]


Voltaire found refuge at the Château de Cirey. Voltaire’s relationship with many aristocrats left a strong intellectual mark on him. During this period, he was in constant touch with the Muse. He wrote a number of plays including Elements of the Philosophy of Newton and novels, tales, satires and light verses during this period.[br /]
[br /]


His frequent travels to France made him a court favorite. His Poème de Fontenoy describes a battle won by the French over the English during the war of the Austrian Succession. All the plays and books portrayed his connection with the court of Louis XV. While he was a permanent resident at the Prussian court, he completed a historical study of the times of Louis XIV.[br /]
[br /]


His most ambitious work was completed in 1758 when he published his Essays on General History and on the Customs and the Character of Nations. In this work, he dealt with the different stages in human progress while denouncing supernaturalism and religion. He vehemently criticized the clergy for their autocratic behavior, at the same time expressing his belief about God and religion.[br /]
[br /]


His tragedy Mérope, about the mythical Greek queen brought him great fame. Mahomet, his play in which the founder of Islam was revealed as an imposter was decried at first, but its production also brought him much acclaim.[br /]
[br /]


Shakespearean theatre struck him with awe, but he was shocked by the lack of professionalism in its treatment. The portrayal of characters was explicit which gave him an urge to write tragedies imitating Shakespeare. All the plays were not a running success and a few of them captivated the public for their exotic subjects.[br /]
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Some of his works are based on history and acquaintance with Charles XII, an extraordinary character, inspired him to write about his life.[br /]
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Lettres Philosophiques is very concise in form. He wrote about the influence of religious toleration giving vivid pictures about the purpose of life, which is not to reach heaven by atoning for our sins, but by making mankind happy. This happiness should be attained through the progress in science and arts. The book is a milestone in the history of thought. It draws on the philosophy of the 18th century and it also guides the modern mind in the right direction.[br /]
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Voltaire’s chance brushing with Newton’s works helped him acquaint the French public with the discoveries of English science.[br /]
[br /]


One of his philosophical fantasy, the Candide shows the way of escaping one’s own misfortune. The secret of happiness is “to cultivate one’s garden.” He himself followed this and cultivated a garden in his property.[br /]
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His ethics were freedom and respect for all individuals. His concept of literature was that it should depict the present day problems. His works show insight of his elegance, clarity in thought and wit. He had not left any subject untouched. His political ideas were liberal in nature.[br /]
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His writings being voluminous, his letters are regarded as the colossal pillars of his writings. The imprint that he left on the sands of time taught men to think clearly, and proclaim “his was a mind at once precise and generous.”[br /]
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[b]“What disgusted me with the profession of Advocate was the profession of useless things with which they wished to load my brain.”[br /]
[br /]


“The greatest privilege of a human being is to be able to do good.”[/b][br /]
[br /]

From a tract entitled I Have Seen
“I have seen the Bastille, and thousand other prisons filled with brave citizens, faithful subjects…I have seen the altar polluted…I have seen the blackest of all possible acts, which the waters of the entire ocean could not purge…I have seen these evils, and I am not twenty years old.”[br /]
[br /]

[b]“The worst of the worthy sort of people is that they are such cowards, a man groans over wrongs, shuts his eyes, he takes his supper, he forgets.”[br /]
[br /]


“My compliments to the Devil for it is he who rules the world.”[br /]
[br /]


“If you were to succeed in abolishing superstition, what would you substitute for it?”[/b][br /]
[br /]

On The Definition of Freedom of Thought[br /]
[b]“Think for yourself, and let others the privilege to do so, too.”[br /]
[br /]


“I do not agree with a word you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it.”[/b][br /]
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Of Christianity[br /]

“God himself came down from heaven and died to redeem mankind and extirpate sin forever from the face of the earth: and yet he left the greater part of mankind a prey to error, to crime and to the devil.”[br /]
[br /]


On Miracles[br /]

“If a predicted miracle be not public and as well verified as an eclipse that is announced in the almanac be assured that it is nothing better than a juggler’s trick or an old woman’s tale.”[br /]
[br /]


“It is to him who masters our mind by the force of truth, not those who enslave men by violence, it is to him who understand the universe, not to those who disfigure it, that we owe our reverence.”[br /]
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[b]“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”[br /]
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“Nobody thinks of giving an immortal soul to a flea.”[/b][br /]
[br /]

“I shall never cease to preach tolerance from the house tops… despite the groans of your priests until persecution is no more. The progress of reason is slow, the roots of prejudice are deep. Doubtless, I shall never see the fruits of my efforts, but they are seeds, which may some day germinate.”[br /]
[br /]

[b]“The church will not cease to be persecutors, until it ceases to be absurd.”[br /]
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“Only the foolish and the ridiculous need force in order to secure respect.”[br /]
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“Go over the whole history of Christian assassins and it is very long and you will see that they all had the Bible in their pockets with their daggers…!”[br /]
[br /]


“All men are born with a nose and ten fingers, but no one was born with a knowledge of God.”[br /]
[br /]


“If you have two religions in your land, the two will cut each other’s throats; but if you have thirty religions, they will dwell in peace.”[br /]
[br /]


“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”[br /]
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“What is not in nature can never be true.”[br /]
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“When it’s a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.”[br /]
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“Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.”[br /]
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“One owes respect to the living, to the dead one owes only truth.”[br /]
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“One day everything will be well, that is our hope. Everything’s fine today, that is our illusion.”[br /]
[br /]


“God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.”[br /]
[br /]


“Prejudices are what fools use for reason.”[br /]
[br /]


“Whatever you do, stamp out abuses, and love those who love you.”[br /]
[br /]


“If God made us in his image, we have certainly returned the compliment.”[br /]
[br /]


“Everyone is guilty of the good they didn’t do.”[br /]
[br /]


“All history is little else than a long succession of useless cruelties.”[br /]
[br /]


“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one, “O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.” And God granted it.”[br /]
[br /]


“If god did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.”[br /]
[br /]


“A multitude of laws in a country is like a great number of physicians, a sign of weakness and malady.”[br /]
[br /]


“We are rarely proud when we are alone.”[br /]
[br /]


“To hold a pen is to be at war.”[/b][br /]
[br /]


“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainly is absurd.”[br /]
[br /]


“The only way to compel men to speak good of us is to do it.”[br /]
[br /]


“Chance is a word void of sense, nothing can exist without a cause.”[br /]
[br /]


“Indeed history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.”[br /]
[br /]


“The road to the heart is the ear.”[br /]
[br /]


“I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom.”[br /]
[br /]


“Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.”[br /]
[br /]


“What is not in nature can never be true.”[br /]
[br /]


“When it’s a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.”[br /]
[br /]


“Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.”[br /]
[br /]


“One owes respect to the living, to the dead one owes only truth.”[br /]
[br /]


“One day everything will be well, that is our hope. Everything’s fine today, that is our illusion.”[br /]
[br /]


“God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.”[br /]
[br /]


“Prejudices are what fools use for reason.”[br /]
[br /]


“Whatever you do, stamp out abuses, and love those who love you.”[br /]
[br /]


“If God made us in his image, we have certainly returned the compliment.”[br /]
[br /]


“Everyone is guilty of the good they didn’t do.”[br /]
[br /]


“All history is little else than a long succession of useless cruelties.”[br /]
[br /]


“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one, “O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.” And God granted it.”[br /]
[br /]


“If god did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.”[br /]
[br /]


“A multitude of laws in a country is like a great number of physicians, a sign of weakness and malady.”[br /]
[br /]


“We are rarely proud when we are alone.”[br /]
[br /]


“To hold a pen is to be at war.”[br /]
[br /]


“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainly is absurd.”[br /]
[br /]


“The only way to compel men to speak good of us is to do it.”[br /]
[br /]


“Chance is a word void of sense, nothing can exist without a cause.”[br /]
[br /]


“Indeed history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.”[br /]
[br /]


“The road to the heart is the ear.”[br /]
[br /]


“I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom.”[br /]
[br /]


“Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.”[br /]
[br /]
[br /]

Comments - Francois Marie Arouet, Voltaire