Common sense is not so common.

The ancient Romans built their greatest masterpieces of architecture, their amphitheaters, for wild beasts to fight in.

Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth.

The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reason.

When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.

Wherever there is a settled society, religion is necessary; the laws cover manifest crimes, and religion covers secret crimes.

Such is the feebleness of humanity, such is its perversity, that doubtless it is better for it to be subject to all possible superstitions, as long as they are not murderous, than to live without religion.

Religion was instituted to make us happy in this life and in the other. What must we do to be happy in the life to come? Be just.

Perfection is attained by slow degrees it requires the hand of time.

All the reasonings of men are not worth one sentiment of women.

The best is the enemy of the good.

Better is the enemy of good.

It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind.

History should be written as philosophy.

Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.

Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.

Chance is a word void of sense nothing can exist without a cause.

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

I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it.

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.

All men are born with a nose and five fingers, but no one is born with a knowledge of God.

Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?

I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom.

To believe in God is impossible not to believe in Him is absurd.

Friendship is the marriage of the soul, and this marriage is liable to divorce.

Divorce is probably of nearly the same date as marriage. I believe, however, that marriage is some weeks the more ancient.

We must cultivate our own garden. When man was put in the garden of Eden he was put there so that he should work, which proves that man was not born to rest.

It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.

The superfluous, a very necessary thing.

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to another.

He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise.

He who is not just is severe, he who is not wise is sad.

When men do not have healthy notions of the Divinity, false ideas supplant them, just as in bad times one uses counterfeit money when there is no good money.

Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.

Of all religions, the Christian should of course inspire the most tolerance, but until now Christians have been the most intolerant of all men.

The instruction we find in books is like fire. We fetch it from our neighbours, kindle it at home, communicate it to others, and it becomes the property of all.

Time, which alone makes the reputation of men, ends by making their defects respectable.

It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.

Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.

It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.