Only God and some few rare geniuses can keep forging ahead into novelty. Denis Diderot More Quotes by Denis Diderot More Quotes From Denis Diderot There is only one duty; that is to be happy. Denis Diderot duty There is not a Musselman alive who would not imagine that he was performing an action pleasing to God and his Holy Prophet by exterminating every Christian on earth, while the Christians are scarcely more tolerant on their side. Denis Diderot holy-prophet christian religion The God of the Christians is a father who makes much of his apples, and very little of his children. Denis Diderot christian father children 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. Denis Diderot thieves sublime essentials If reason be a gift of Heaven, and we can say as much of faith, Heaven has certainly made us two gifts not only incompatible, but in direct contradiction to each other. In order to solve the difficulty, we are compelled to say either that faith is a chimera or that reason is useless. Denis Diderot heaven two order Does anyone really know where they're going to? Denis Diderot knows doe 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. Denis Diderot denial power long There is no moral precept that does not have something inconvenient about it. Denis Diderot literature doe inspirational Time, matter, space - all, it may be, are no more than a point. Denis Diderot space matter may Posterity for the philosopher is what the other world is for the religious man. Denis Diderot religious men philosophy Distance is a great promoter of admiration. Denis Diderot promoters admiration distance If there were a reason for preferring the Christian religion to natural religion, it would be because the former offers us, on the nature of God and man, enlightenment that the latter lacks. Now, this is not at all the case; for Christianity, instead of clarifying, gives rise to an infinite multitude of obscurities and difficulties. Denis Diderot christian giving men You can be sure that a painter reveals himself in his work as much as and more than a writer does in his. Denis Diderot painter doe You risk just as much in being credulous as in being suspicious. Denis Diderot suspicious risk All children are essentially criminal. Denis Diderot criminals children Are we not madder than those first inhabitants of the plain of Sennar? We know that the distance separating the earth from the sky is infinite, and yet we do not stop building our tower. Denis Diderot distance towers sky The general interest of the masses might take the place of the insight of genius if it were allowed freedom of action. Denis Diderot freedom genius might Gentleness and peacefulness regulate our proceedings; theirs are dictated by fury. We employ reason, they accumulate faggots. They preach nothing but love, and breathe nothing but blood. Their words are humane, but their hearts are cruel. Denis Diderot atheism heart blood The possibility of divorce renders both marriage partners stricter in their observance of the duties they owe to each other. Divorces help to improve morals and to increase the population. Denis Diderot divorce population literature There are cats and cats. Denis Diderot cat
