Quote of the Day: Voltaire on Aging & Wisdom

Notice that he says “loss of energy,” not “loss of desire” or “loss of temptation.” Energy is broader, almost mechanical: the fuel that powers both our vices and our virtues. By choosing that phrase, he makes morality feel less like a halo and more like a battery level, then drops the pin: “What most persons consider as virtue, after the age of 40 is simply a loss of energy.”

It’s a rude little truth, delivered with a shrug. We love the story that time polishes character, that restraint is wisdom earned, that serenity is enlightenment achieved. But Voltaire suggests a less flattering explanation: sometimes the “goodness” we applaud is just the body negotiating new limits. The late-night appetite fades; the appetite for conflict dims; the thrill of excess no longer pays its old dividends. Society mistakes that quieting for sainthood.

The sting isn’t aimed only at the aging. It’s aimed at the audience, the friends and institutions eager to award moral medals for what may simply be diminished stamina. Voltaire isn’t denying genuine growth; he’s puncturing our habit of confusing outcome with intention. Real virtue has a cost: it requires choice, effort, and often discomfort. If the struggle disappears, what exactly are we applauding? The line forces an uncomfortable audit of our motives, and a healthier skepticism about the flattering narratives we build around virtue and self-control.

Voltaire earned his authority the hard way: through exile, controversy, and a career devoted to reason, freedom, and social reform. His wit wasn’t ornamental; it was a blade used to expose hypocrisy and defend freedom of thought.

No major anniversary is needed to make this land. Today, apply it as a diagnostic: if your “virtue” costs you nothing, test it, choose restraint where you still have power, not merely where you’ve lost the appetite.