The monster, fanaticism, still exists, and whoever seeks after truth will run the risk of being persecuted.

The true character of liberty is independence, maintained by force.

He who has heard the same thing told by 12,000 eye-witnesses has only 12,000 probabilities, which are equal to one strong probability, which is far from certain.

Many are destined to reason wrongly; others, not to reason at all; and others, to persecute those who do reason.

I believe that there never was a creator of a philosophical system who did not confess at the end of his life that he had wasted his time. It must be admitted that the inventors of the mechanical arts have been much more useful to men that the inventors of syllogisms. He who imagined a ship towers considerably above him who imagined innate ideas.

The little may contrast with the great, in painting, but cannot be said to be contrary to it. Oppositions of colors contrast; but there are also colors contrary to each other, that is, which produce an ill effect because they shock the eye when brought very near it.

The prudent man does himself good; the virtuous one does it to other men.