Denis Diderot Top 10 Quotes


10

Scepticism is the first step towards truth.

Denis Diderot

9

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has killed a great many philosophers.

Denis Diderot (Observations on the Drawing Up of Laws, 1774)

8

Wandering in a vast forest at night, I have only a faint light to guide me. A stranger appears and says to me: "My friend, you should blow out your candle in order to find your way more clearly." This stranger is a theologian.

Denis Diderot

7

Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.

Denis Diderot (Pensées Philosophiques, 1746)

6

We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter.

Denis Diderot (Rameau's Nephew, 1762)

5

There is no good father who would want to resemble our Heavenly Father.

Denis Diderot (Pensées Philosophiques, 1746)

4

No man has received from nature the right to command his fellow human beings.

Denis Diderot (L'Encyclopédie, 1751 - 1766)

3

Man is born to think for himself.

Denis Diderot

2

One may demand of me that I should seek truth, but not that I should find it.

Denis Diderot (Pensées Philosophiques, 1746)

1

If you want me to believe in God, you must make me touch him.

Denis Diderot

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Denis Diderot Biography

Born: October 5, 1713
Died: July 31, 1784

Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic and writer. He was a notable and esteemed figure during the Enlightenment.

Notable Works

Pensées Philosophiques or also known as Philosophical Thoughts (1746)
L'Encyclopédie (1751 - 1766)
Rameau's Nephew (1762)
D'Alembert's Dream (1769)



All Quotations by Denis Diderot