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

J'ai toujours fait une prière à Dieu, qui est fort courte. La voici: Mon Dieu, rendez nos ennemis bien ridicules! Dieu m'a exaucé.

Voltaire

More information about this quote

Topic

Enemies

Author

Voltaire

Medium

Letter

Language

French

Time

1767 1760s 18th century

Occupation

Philosopher Writer

From

France Europe

Authentication Score 1

Citation

Voltaire. Letter to Etienne Noel Damilaville. 16 May 1767.

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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote by Voltaire

All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.

Voltaire

Candide

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More information about this quote
Topic
Problem of evil Nature of the world The world
Speaker
Pangloss

Author

Voltaire
Source
Candide
Medium
Novel
Genre
Satire
Language
French
Time
1759 1750s 18th century
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Voltaire. Candide, ou l'Optimisme [Candide: or, All for the Best]. Geneva: Gabriel Cramer, 1759, ch. 1.

Current Citation

Voltaire. Candide, edited by Nicholas Cronk. W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, ch. 1.

Another quote from the 1760s

Censorship is crucial for preserving morals but useless for restoring them.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The Social Contract

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More information about this quote
Topic
Censorship Morality

Author

Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Source
The Social Contract
Genre
Political literature Philosophical literature
Language
French
Time
1762 1760s 18th century
Era
Age of Enlightenment
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Du contrat social ou Principes du droit politique [On the Social Contract or Principles of Political Law]. Amsterdam: Marc Michel Rey, 1762, bk. 4, ch. 7.

Current Citation

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. "Of the Social Contract." Of the Social Contract and Other Political Writings, translated by Quintin Hoare. Penguin Classics, 2012, bk. 4, ch. 7.

Another quote about Enemies

If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Prose Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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More information about this quote
Topic
Enemies Empathy

Author

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Source
Table-Talk (Longfellow) Prose Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Language
English
Time
1857 1850s 19th century
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Table-Talk." Prose Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Vol. 1. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1857.

Current Citation

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Table-Talk." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Poems and Other Writings, edited by J. D. McClatchy. Library of America, 2000.

Another quote originally in French

When we abolish the slavery of half of humanity, together with the whole system of hypocrisy that it implies, then the "division" of humanity will reveal its genuine significance and the human couple will find its true form.

Simone de Beauvoir

The Second Sex

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More information about this quote
Topic
Women's equality Men and women

Author

Simone de Beauvoir
Source
The Second Sex
Genre
Historical literature Feminist literature
Language
French
Time
1949 1940s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

De Beauvoir, Simone. Le Deuxième Sexe [The Second Sex]. Vol. 2, Gallimard, 1949.

Current Citation

De Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex, translated by Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier. Vintage, 2011.