D01. Voltaire

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D01. Voltaire

First revision: Apr.17, 2024

Last change: Jul.8, 2026
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Doubt is not pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.
Voltaire (CE. 1697-1778)
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"Common sense is not so common."

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1.	"Common sense is not so common." Source: Philosophical Dictionary (CE.1764)	Voltaire wrote this phrase during a time when France still believed in witchcraft and exorcism. The phrase "common sense," in its original meaning, referred to the basic wisdom that all humans should possess. However, Voltaire observed that most people abandoned this, and as soon as they entered church or court, what seemed like the "most commonplace" became the "rarest" in real life.
2.	"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." Source: Letter to Frederick William, Prince of Prussia (November 28, 1770)	Voltaire wrote about a young prince in an era when most kings believed their authority was divinely ordained, leaving no room for doubt or questioning. This passage is a subtle warning: a wise leader must acknowledge their own mistakes; doubt can be painful, but it is a sign of a still functioning mind.
3.	"The more read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing." Source: Letter to Marie Louise Denis (CE.1754)	Voltaire wrote this quote at the age of 60, after a lifetime of reading and writing hundreds of books. It is an echo of Socrates' statement, "I know that I know nothing." This humility is not a lack of confidence, but a symbol of true wisdom. The wiser a person is, the more they see that the universe of knowledge is far too vast for any single human being to encompass.

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