Life Is Thick Sown with Thorns, and I Know No Other Remedy Than To Pass Quickly Through Them

Voltaire? Louis Mayeul Chaudon? Apocryphal?

Dear Quote Investigator: The famous French writer Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) apparently said something like: Life is bristling with thorns. One must travel through them quickly to minimize the pain and harm. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Quote Investigator: Voltaire died in 1778, and Louis Mayeul Chaudon published a biographical work in 1785. The anecdote section included the following. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:^[1]1785, Mémoires Pour Servir à L’Histoire de M. de Voltaire, Editor: Louis Mayeul Chaudon, Part 2, Section: Anecdotes Sur Voltaire, Quote Page 78, Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Google Books Full … Continue reading

« La vie est hérissée d’épines, ( disoit Voltaire ) ; & je ne sçais d’autre remède, que de passer vite à travers ces broussailles. C’est donner de la consistance aux maux, que de trop s’y arrêter. »

In 1786 Chaudon’s work was translated and published under the title “Historical and Critical Memoirs of the Life and Writings of M. de Voltaire”. The text above was rendered as follows:^[2]1786, Historical and Critical Memoirs of the Life and Writings of M. de Voltaire. Interspersed with Numerous Anecdotes, Poetical Pieces, Epigrams and Bon Mots, From the French of Dom Chaudon (Louis … Continue reading

Life, said Voltaire, is thick sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.

Thus, this quotation did not appear in Voltaire’s writings; instead, it appeared in a biographical work printed posthumously. Its authenticity is dependent upon the care and diligence of Louis Mayeul Chaudon.

Below are additional selected citations.

Voltaire wrote a letter in 1769 containing a partially matching statement. The letter appeared in the twelfth volume of Voltaire’s complete works published in 1843:^[3]1843, Oeuvres Complètes de Voltaire, Tome Douzième (Volume 12), Section: Correspondance (Correspondence), Date: October 21, 1769, From: Voltaire at Château de Ferney, To: A. M. Luneau … Continue reading

La vie est hérissée de ces épines , et je n’y sais d’autre remède que de cultiver son jardin.

Here is one possible rendering in English:

Life is bristling with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one’s garden.

The latter part of this remark echoed the central thesis pronounced at the end of Voltaire’s celebrated 1759 work “Candide”:^[4] 1759, Candide, Ou L’Optimisme, Traduit De L’Allemand de Mr. Le Docteur Ralph (Voltaire), Chapitre Trentième: Conclusion, Quote Page 292, (No publisher listed). (Google Books Full View) link

Je sçai aussi, dit Candide, qu’il faut cultiver nôtre jardin.
I also know, said Candide, that we must cultivate our garden.

In 1786 “The Political Herald, and Review” of London reviewed Chaudon’s book on Voltaire and reprinted the quotation:^[5]1786, The Political Herald, and Review, Volume 2, Number 12, Book review of “Historical and Critical Memoirs of the Life and Writings of M. De Voltaire”, Start Page 443, Quote Page 446, Printed … Continue reading

“Life, said Voltaire, is thick sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”

In 1817 “The Scots Magazine” of Edinburgh, Scotland published a translation with a different phrasing. The phrase “all bristling” replaced “thick sown”:^[6]1817 May, The Scots Magazine, Volume 79, New Anecdotes of Voltaire (From the French), Quote Page 326, Column 2, Printed for Archibald Constable and Company, Edinburgh, Scotland. (Google Books Full … Continue reading

Voltaire was very gay: “Life,” says he, “is all bristling with thorns; I know no remedy but to pass quick over them; we give consistence to evils when we dwell upon them.”

In 1850 “The Young Man’s Counsellor” by Reverend Daniel Wise printed part of the saying, but used “thickly sown” instead of “thick sown”:^[7]1850 Copyright, The Young Man’s Counsellor; Or, Sketches and Illustrations of the Duties and Dangers of Young Men by Rev. Daniel Wise, Chapter 2: The Corner-Stone of a Successful Life, Quote … Continue reading

Voltaire, one of the most brilliant of the sons of genius, whose friendship was courted by powerful kings, and whom the people delighted to honor, speaking of life, said, “Life is thickly sown with thorns; and I know of no other remedy than to pass quickly through them.”

In 1886 “Edge-Tools of Speech” compiled by Maturin M. Ballou included the saying:^[8] 1886, Edge-Tools of Speech, Selected and Arranged by Maturin M. Ballou, Topic: Life, Quote Page 276, Ticknor and Company, Boston, Massachusetts. (Google Books Full View) link

Life is thick sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us. — Voltaire.

In 1927 the same passage and attribution appeared in “The New Dictionary of Thoughts: A Cyclopedia of Quotations” originally compiled by Tryon Edwards.^[9]1927, The New Dictionary of Thoughts: A Cyclopedia of Quotations, Originally compiled by Tryon Edwards, Revised and Enlarged, Topic: Life, Quote Page 343, Britkin Publishing Company, Charlotte, North … Continue reading

In 2008 the passage and attribution appeared in “I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like: A Comprehensive Compilation of History’s Greatest Metaphors, Analogies, and Similes” compiled by Mardy Grothe.^[10]2008, I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like: A Comprehensive Compilation of History’s Greatest Metaphors, Analogies, and Similes by Mardy Grothe, Chapter 6: Life Is the Art of Drawing Without an … Continue reading

In conclusion, Voltaire deserves credit for the passage appearing in Louis Mayeul Chaudon’s book on Voltaire. The provenance is not completely certain, but Voltaire did use the thorns metaphor in a 1769 letter.

Image Notes: Public domain illustration of the plant euphorbia splendens which display thorns. Image from the 1917 book “Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture”. Image has been resized.

(Great thanks to the anonymous person whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.)