Voltaire (pen-name of François-Marie Arouet) (born 21 November, 1694; died 30 May, 1778), portrayed above in a bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828), based on a model Houdon made a few months before Votaire died; in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Le superflu, chose trés nécessaire.
The superfluous, a very necessary thing.
—from Le Mondaine, 1736
Un bon mot ne prouve rien.
A witty saying proves nothing.
—from Le dîner du comte de Boulainvilliers (1767)
