Voltaire – French 18th-century philosopher, author of Candide and the Philosophical Dictionary, a symbol of the Enlightenment. His wit and satire fought fanaticism and tyranny. His name became synonymous with free thought and reason.
📖 Born François-Marie Arouet, he adopted the pen name “Voltaire” in his youth. 🏰 Imprisoned in the Bastille for his biting wit and critiques of the nobility. 💎 Amassed wealth through clever investments in lotteries and the stock market. ✍️ Wrote over 20,000 letters, now a treasure trove of the Enlightenment. 🌍 Lived in exile in Switzerland and England, absorbing constitutional ideas. 🎭 Friends and rivals with Rousseau and Diderot. 📚 Candide remains one of the sharpest satires on optimism and Leibniz’s philosophy. ⚡ Famous motto: “Écrasez l’infâme!” – “Crush the infamous thing” (superstition and fanaticism). 🎤 Even kings quoted his barbs with both admiration and fear. 😅 Funny note: on his deathbed, when urged to renounce the devil, he replied: “Now is not the time to make new enemies.”