Q0314
“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.” — Voltaire (Philosophical Dictionary / correspondence (common form))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Philosophical Dictionary / correspondence (common form). Theme: knowledge.
English
Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Philosophical Dictionary / correspondence (common form) and files it under Political Liberalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Voltaire
Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet, 1694–1778) was the French Enlightenment’s sharpest satirist and campaigner for toleration, author of Candide and countless polemics. Imprisoned in the Bastille, exiled in England, resident at Cirey and Ferney, he fought judicial fanaticism in cases such as Calas.
How to read this passage
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, wisdom.
Concepts in this quote
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Wisdom
- Wisdom is practical insight under uncertainty: knowing what matters, what one does not know, and how to act without false certainty.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Voltaire. (n.d.). Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0314
MLA: Voltaire. “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0314.
Chicago: Voltaire. “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0314.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty…”?
The passage is attributed to Voltaire, Philosophical Dictionary / correspondence (common form). The archive attributes this English wording to Philosophical Dictionary / correspondence (common form) and files it under Political Liberalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Voltaire mean by knowledge?
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, wisdom.