It was the only treaty made by the settlers with the Indians that was never sworn to, and the only one that was never broken.
As quoted in A History of the American Peace Movement (2008) by Charles F. Howlett, and Robbie Lieberman, p. 33
It was in the reign of Charles II that they obtained the noble distinction of being exempted from giving their testimony on oath in a court of justice, and being believed on their bare affirmation. On this occasion the chancellor, who was a man of wit, spoke to them as follows: “Friends, Jupiter one day ordered that all the beasts of burden should repair to be shod. The asses represented that their laws would not allow them to submit to that operation. ‘Very well,’ said Jupiter; ‘then you shall not be shod; but the first false step you make, you may depend upon being severely drubbed.'”
I cannot guess what may be the fate of Quakerism in America; but I perceive it loses ground daily in England. In all countries, where the established religion is of a mild and tolerating nature, it will at length swallow up all the rest.
Dictionnaire philosophique (1764)
Books, like conversation, rarely give us any precise ideas: nothing is so common as to read and converse unprofitably. We must here repeat what Locke has so strongly urged—Define your terms.
“Abuse of Words” (1764)
C.f. Locke: “The names of simple ideas are not capable of any definition; the names of all complex ideas are. It has not, that I know, been yet observed by anybody what words are, and what are not, capable of being defined; the want whereof is (as I am apt to think) not seldom the occasion of great wrangling and obscurity in men’s discourses, whilst some demand definitions of terms that cannot be defined; and others think they ought not to rest satisfied in an explication made by a more general word, and its restriction, (or to speak in terms of art, by a genus and difference), when, even after such definition, made according to rule, those who hear it have often no more a clear conception of the meaning of the word than they had before.”
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) Book III, chapter 4
Morality is everywhere the same for all men, therefore it comes from God; sects differ, therefore they are the work of men.
La morale est la même chez tous les hommes, donc elle vient de Dieu; le culte est différent, donc il est l’ouvrage des hommes.
“Atheist” (1764)
The man, who in a fit of melancholy, kills himself today, would have wished to live had he waited a week.
Tel homme qui dans un excès de mélancolie se tue aujourd’hui aimerait à vivre s’il attendait huit jours.
“Cato” (1764)
Do not most of us resemble that old general of ninety who, having come upon some young officers debauching some girls, said to them angrily: “Gentlemen, is that the example I give you?”
Ne ressemblons-nous pas presque tous à ce vieux général de quatre-vingt-dix ans, qui, ayant rencontré de jeunes officiers qui faisaient un peu de désordre avec des filles, leur dit tout en colère: “Messieurs, est-ce là l’exemple que je vous donne?”
“Character” (1764)
It is sometimes said, common sense is very rare.
On dit quelquefois, le sens commun est fort rare…
Philosophical Dictionary (‘Sens Commun’) (1767).
Compare Juvenal, Satires, viii:73:
Original Latin: Rarus enim ferme sensus communis in illa fortuna.
English translation: For rarely are civic sympathies to be found in that rank”.
Published translation in French (1731): Il est fort rare qu’on conserve le Sens commun dans une si haute fortune.
It is sad that often, to be a good patriot, one must be the enemy of the rest of mankind.
Il est triste que souvent, pour être bon patriote, on soit l’ennemi du reste des hommes.
“Country”
His reputation will go on increasing because scarcely anyone reads him.
Sa réputation s’affermira toujours, parce qu’on ne le lit guère.
“Dante” (1765)
All men would then be necessarily equal, if they were without needs. It is the poverty connected with our species which subordinates one man to another. It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.
Tous les hommes seraient donc nécessairement égaux, s’ils étaient sans besoins. La misère attachée à notre espèce subordonne un homme à un autre homme: ce n’est pas l’inégalité qui est un malheur réel, c’est la dépendance.
“Equality” (1764)
Such then is the human condition, that to wish greatness for one’s country is to wish harm to one’s neighbors.
Telle est donc la condition humaine que souhaiter la grandeur de son pays, c’est souhaiter du mal à ses voisins.
“Fatherland” (1764)
Faith consists in believing what reason cannot.
La foi consiste à croire ce que la raison ne croit pas.
“The Flood” (1764)
Virtuous men alone possess friends.
Les hommes vertueux ont seuls des amis.
“Friendship” (1764)
If you want good laws, burn those you have and make new ones.
Voulez-vous avoir de bonnes lois; brûlez les vôtres, et faites-en de nouvelles.
“Laws” (1765)
Define your terms, you will permit me again to say, or we shall never understand one another.
Définissez les termes, vous dis-je, ou jamais nous ne nous entendrons.
“Miracles” (1764)
Prejudice is an opinion without judgement.
Le préjugé est une opinion sans jugement.
“Prejudices” (1764)
What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly — that is the first law of nature.
Qu’est-ce que la tolérance? c’est l’apanage de l’humanité. Nous sommes tous pétris de faiblesses et d’erreurs; pardonnons-nous réciproquement nos sottises, c’est la première loi de la nature.
“Tolerance” (1764)
A company of solemn tyrants is impervious to all seductions.
Une compagnie de graves tyrans est inaccessible à toutes les séductions.
“Tyranny” (1764)
The institution of religion exists only to keep mankind in order, and to make men merit the goodness of GOD by their virtue. Everything in a religion which does not tend towards this goal must be considered foreign or dangerous.
“The Ecclesiastical Ministry”
What a pity and what a poverty of spirit, to assert that beasts are machines deprived of knowledge and sentiment, which affect all their operations in the same manner, which learn nothing, never improve, &c. […] Some barbarians seize this dog, who so prodigiously excels man in friendship, they nail him to a table, and dissect him living, to show the mezarian veins. You discover in him all the same organs of sentiment which are in yourself. Answer me, machinist, has nature arranged all the springs of sentiment in this animal that he should not feel? Has he nerves to be incapable of suffering? Do not suppose this impertinent contradiction in nature. […] The animal has received those of sentiment, memory, and a certain number of ideas. Who has bestowed these gifts, who has given these faculties? He who has made the herb of the field to grow, and who makes the earth gravitate towards the sun.
“Beasts”, in A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 2, J. and H. L. Hunt, 1824, p. 9
Questions sur l’Encyclopédie (1770–1774)
Money is always to be found when men are to be sent to the frontiers to be destroyed: when the object is to preserve them, it is no longer so.
On en trouve toujours quand il s’agit d’aller faire tuer des hommes sur la frontière: il n’y en a plus quand il faut les sauver.
“Charity” (1770)
Virtue supposes liberty, as the carrying of a burden supposes active force. Under coercion there is no virtue, and without virtue there is no religion. Make a slave of me, and I shall be no better for it. Even the sovereign has no right to use coercion to lead men to religion, which by its nature supposes choice and liberty. My thought is no more subject to authority than is sickness or health.
La vertu suppose la liberté, comme le transport d’un fardeau suppose la force active. Dans la contrainte point de vertu, et sans vertu point de religion. Rends-moi esclave, je n’en serai pas meilleur. Le souverain même n’a aucun droit d’employer la contrainte pour amener les hommes à la religion, qui suppose essentiellement choix et liberté. Ma pensée n’est pas plus soumise à l’autorité que la maladie ou la santé.
“Canon Law: Ecclesiastical Ministry” (1771)
Divorce is probably of nearly the same age as marriage. I believe, however, that marriage is some weeks the more ancient.
Le divorce est probablement de la même date à peu près que le mariage. Je crois pourtant que le mariage est de quelques semaines plus ancien.
“Divorce” (1771)
It requires twenty years for a man to rise from the vegetable state in which he is within his mother’s womb, and from the pure animal state which is the lot of his early childhood, to the state when the maturity of reason begins to appear. It has required thirty centuries to learn a little about his structure. It would need eternity to learn something about his soul. It takes an instant to kill him.
Il faut vingt ans pour mener l’homme de l’état de plante où il est dans le ventre de sa mère, et de l’état de pur animal, qui est le partage de sa première enfance, jusqu’à celui où la maturité de la raison commence à poindre. Il a fallu trente siècles pour connaître un peu sa structure. Il faudrait l’éternité pour connaître quelque chose de son âme. Il ne faut qu’un instant pour le tuer.
“Man: General Reflection on Man” (1771)
In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
En général, l’art du gouvernement consiste à prendre le plus d’argent qu’on peut à une grande partie des citoyens, pour le donner à une autre partie.
“Money” (1770)
Nothing is so common as to imitate one’s enemies, and to use their weapons.
Rien n’est si ordinaire que d’imiter ses ennemis, et d’employer leurs armes.
“Oracles” (1770)
The ETERNAL has His designs from all eternity. If prayer is in accord with His immutable Wishes, it is quite useless to ask of Him what He has resolved to do. If one prays to Him to do the contrary of what he has resolved, it is praying that he be weak, frivolous, inconstant; it is believing that he is thus, it is to mock him. Either you ask him a just thing, in which case he must do it, the thing being done without your praying to Him for it, and so to entreat Him is then to distrust Him; or the thing is unjust, and then you insult Him. You are worthy or unworthy of the grace you implore: if worthy, He knows it better than you; if unworthy, you commit another crime by requesting what is undeserved.
In a word, we only pray to GOD because we have made Him in our image. We treat Him like a pasha, like a sultan whom one may provoke or appease.L’ÉTERNEL a ses desseins de toute éternité. Si la prière est d’accord avec ses volontés immuables, il est très inutile de Lui demander ce qu’il a résolu de faire. Si on le prie de faire le contraire de ce qu’il a résolu, c’est le prier d’être faible, léger, inconstant; c’est croire qu’il soit tel, c’est se moquer de Lui. Ou vous Lui demandez une chose juste; en ce cas il la doit, et elle se fera sans qu’on l’en prie; c’est même se défier de lui que lui faire instance ou la chose est injuste, et alors on l’outrage. Vous êtes digne ou indigne de la grâce que vous implorez: si digne, il le sait mieux que vous; si indigne, on commet un crime de plus en demandant ce qu’on ne mérite pas.
En un mot, nous ne faisons des prières à DIEU que parce que nous l’avons fait à notre image. Nous le traitons comme un bacha, comme un sultan qu’on peut irriter ou apaiser.
“Prayers” (1770)
It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.
Il est défendu de tuer; tout meurtrier est puni, à moins qu’il n’ait tué en grande compagnie, et au son des trompettes.
“Rights” (1771)
Attributed quotes:
Etymology is a science in which vowels signify nothing at all, and consonants very little.
L’étymologie est une science où les voyelles ne font rien et les consonnes fort peu de chose.
Quote attributed by Max Müller (1823–1900), Lectures on the Science of Language (2003), Kessinger Publishing, p. 238
Doctors are men who prescribe medicine of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, for human beings of which they know nothing.
Les médecins administrent des médicaments dont ils savent très peu, à des malades dont ils savent moins, pour guérir des maladies dont ils ne savent rien.
Note: This attribution to Voltaire appears in Strauss’ Familiar Medical Quotations (1968), p. 394, and in publications as early as 1956 ; the quotation in French does not, however, appear to be original, and is probably a relatively modern invention, only quoted in recent (21st century) published works, which attribute it to “Voltaire” without citing any source.
I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist without a clockmaker.
As attributed in More Random Walks in Science : An Anthology (1982) by Robert L. Weber, p. 65
The English have only one sauce, melted butter.
Remark to Adam Smith, as attributed in P. J. O’Rourke, On The Wealth of Nations (2007), p. 184
L’adjectif est l’ennemi du substantif.
Translation: The adjective is the enemy of the substantive.
Variants: The adjective is the enemy of the noun.
Quote attributed in Arthur Schopenhauer (translated by Mrs Rudolf Dircks), Essays of Schopenhauer (2004), Kessinger Publishing, p. 31
