Last updated: January 2026

12 Most Powerful Voltaire Quotes That Still Matter in 2026 (With Modern Lessons)

Voltaire wrote thousands of letters and dozens of books. These twelve lines still cut through the noise 250 years later. All quotes link directly to the original French texts or authoritative English editions.

1. “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

(Attributed – Evelyn Beatrice Hall’s summary of Voltaire’s philosophy, 1906)
The Friends of Voltaire – full context
Lesson: The original free-speech battle cry.

2. “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”

Letters on England, Letter XIII
Letters on England – Liberty Fund
Lesson: In the age of AI answers, the best minds ask better questions.

3. “Common sense is not so common.”

Philosophical Dictionary, “Common Sense”
Philosophical Dictionary – Liberty Fund
Lesson: Explains 90 % of social media.

4. “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

Questions sur les Miracles, 1765
Original French text – Wikisource
Lesson: Fake news and extremism in one sentence.

5. “God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.”

Letter to Prince Frederick William of Prussia, 1740
Voltaire Correspondence – Liberty Fund
Lesson: Personal responsibility in an age of victimhood culture.

6. “Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.”

Letter to Pierre-Joseph Thoulier, 1768
Original letter – Wikisource
Lesson: The Stoic-style call to action for procrastinators.

7. “Doubt is an uncomfortable position, but certainty is a ridiculous one.”

Letter to Frederick the Great, 1767
Original letter – Wikisource
Lesson: The perfect antidote to dogmatic thinking.

8. “The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.”

Philosophical Dictionary, “Aristotle”
Philosophical Dictionary – Liberty Fund
Lesson: Intellectual humility in the “I did my own research” era.

9. “Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.”

Candide, Chapter 19
Candide – Project Gutenberg
Lesson: The original takedown of toxic positivity.

10. “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.”

Épître à l’Auteur du Livre des Trois Imposteurs, 1770
Original poem – Wikisource
Lesson: Still the most quoted line in every religion vs atheism debate.

11. “Prejudices are what fools use for reason.”

Philosophical Dictionary, “Prejudices”
Philosophical Dictionary – Liberty Fund
Lesson: Explains tribal politics in one sentence.

12. “Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”

Letter to Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, 1742
Original letter – Wikisource
Lesson: The ultimate gratitude hack for 2026.

Why a Voltaire Bust Is the Perfect Daily Reminder

These words hit harder when the man who wrote them is watching you work. Our 25.7 cm Voltaire bust is cast from the famous 1718 Atelier de Nicolas de Largillière portrait – the youthful, sharp-eyed version that defined the Enlightenment.