Denis Diderot

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

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

Power acquired by violence is only a usurpation, and lasts only as long as the force of him who commands prevails over that of those who obey.

Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.

The best doctor is the one you run to and can't find.

Disturbances in society are never more fearful than when those who are stirring up the trouble can use the pretext of religion to mask their true designs.

There is only one passion, the passion for happiness.

When science, art, literature, and philosophy are simply the manifestation of personality they are on a level where glorious and dazzling achievements are possible, which can make a man's name live for thousands of years.

It is not human nature we should accuse but the despicable conventions that pervert it.

There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge... observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination.

If there is one realm in which it is essential to be sublime, it is in wickedness. You spit on a petty thief, but you can't deny a kind of respect for the great criminal.

You risk just as much in being credulous as in being suspicious.

The best doctor is the one you run for and can't find.

Instinct guides the animal better than the man. In the animal it is pure in man it is led astray by his reason and intelligence.

Isn't it better to have men be ungrateful than to miss a chance to do good?

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

All things must be examined, debated, investigated without exception and without regard for anyone's feelings.

Distance is a great promoter of admiration!