“In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.”

“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”

“Is politics nothing other than the art of deliberately lying?”

“The man who leaves money to charity in his will is only giving away what no longer belongs to him”

“If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?”

“A State can be no better than the citizens of which it is composed. Our labour now is not to mould States but make citizens.”

“So it is the human condition that to wish for the greatness of one's fatherland is to wish evil to one's neighbors. The citizen of the universe would be the man who wishes his country never to be either greater or smaller, richer or poorer.”