François-Marie Arouet, (aka Voltaire), Born: November 21, 1694, Paris, France and Died: May 30, 1778 (age 83 years), Paris, France. French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and his criticism (Wikipedia). Quotes by Voltaire (PDF)
“To hold a pen is to be at war.”
“No opinion is worth burning your neighbor for.”
“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.”
“Prejudices are what fools use for reason.”
“The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom.”
“No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking.”
On his death bed, a clergyman asked Voltaire to renounce Satan, to which he replied, “Now, now my good man, this is no time to be making enemies.”