Voltaire: The Voice of Reason and Light

François-Marie Arouet — better known as Voltaire — was born in 1694 and became one of the brightest lights of the Enlightenment. He could not bear injustice, fanaticism, or the silencing of thought.“Il est dangereux d’avoir raison dans des choses où des hommes accrédités ont tort.”It is dangerous to be right when those in power are wrong.

Voltaire learned this the hard way: imprisonment in the Bastille, exile across Europe, and constant conflict with authority. Yet he never surrendered his belief that reason and free expression were worth any price.Though not his exact words, the phrase often linked to him captures his spirit perfectly: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend your right to say it.

In later years, Voltaire settled in Ferney on the French-Swiss border, transforming a quiet château into a vibrant center of ideas. Writers, scientists, and travelers came from across Europe to debate, laugh, and share wine under his roof. Surrounded by books and long views of the Jura Mountains, he found the peace he had long earned.

“Il faut cultiver notre jardin.”We must cultivate our garden.For Voltaire, this meant tending both the soil and the mind — nurturing clarity, tolerance, and the courage to think.

He fought the monster of fanaticism with his pen, believing that true religion could never justify cruelty. He dreamed of a world where people were judged by their deeds, not their dogmas.

“Le paradis terrestre est où je suis.”Earthly paradise is where I am.For him, that paradise was freedom — the freedom to question, to reason, and to let light dispel the shadows of ignorance.

Voltaire was no saint, but he changed the world by insisting it could be wiser, kinder, and more awake. His voice still calls us toward that light.