Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderotʁo]; 5 October 1713 – 31 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent figure during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the Encyclopédie along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth5 October 1713
people religion use
The most dangerous madmen are those created by religion, and... people whose aim is to disrupt society always know how to make good use of them on occasion.
sublime useless doe
Whether God exists or does not exist, He has come to rank among the most sublime and useless truths.
bitter drink drop lie swallow truth women
Women swallow at one mouthful the lie that flatters, and drink drop by drop the truth that is bitter
running law long
The decisions of law courts should never be printed: in the long run, they form a counter authority to the law.
witty character giving
Il ne faut point donner d'esprit a' ses personnages; mais savoir les placer dans des circonstances qui leur en donnent. You should not give wit to your characters, but know instead how to put them in situations which will make them witty.
truth looks expected
I can be expected to look for truth but not to find it.
ignorance prejudice
Ignorance is less remote from the truth than prejudice.
cat
There are cats and cats.
son soul devil
If there are one hundred thousand damned souls for one saved soul, the devil has always the advantage without having given up his son to death.
law authority break
Anyone who takes it upon himself, on his private authority, to break a bad law, thereby authorizes everyone else to break the good ones.
sleep femme
Tous les jours on couche avec des femmes qu'on n'aime pas, et l'on ne couche pas avec des femmes qu'on aime. Every day we sleep with women we do not love and don't sleep with the women we do love.
book dark talent
When one compares the talents one has with those of a Leibniz , one is tempted to throw away one's books and go die quietly in the dark of some forgotten corner.
miracle absurdity prove
To prove the Gospels by a miracle is to prove an absurdity by something contrary to nature.
heart character son
L'homme est ne pour la socie te ; se parez-le, isolez-le, ses ide es se de suniront, son caracte' re se tournera, mille affections ridicules s'e le' veront dans son coeur; des 274 pense es extravagantes germeront dans son esprit, comme les ronces dans une terre sauvage. Man is born to live in society: separate him, isolate him, and his ideas disintegrate, his character changes, a thousand ridiculous affectations rise up in his heart; extreme thoughts take hold in his mind, like the brambles in a wild field.