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About this quote

What does it mean?
Life has many hardships, and the remedy is to focus on cultivating one's own life.
In plain terms
When life is hard, focus on improving your own situation.
What can you take from it?
Focus on your own affairs during hard times.

Where it applies

  • personal crisis
  • social turmoil
  • career stress

Putting it to work

  • focus on what you control
  • maintain personal order

Questions to consider

  • What is your garden?
  • How do you cope with pain?

Another view

Ignoring broader issues can lead to isolation or negligence.

More from Voltaire

  1. Il est bien malaise (puisqu'il faut enfin m'expliquer) d'oter a des insenses des chaines qu'ils reverent.

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  2. C'est une grande question parmi eux s'ils [les africains] sont descendus des singes ou si les singes sont venus d'eux. Nos sages ont dit que l'homme est l'imag…

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  3. Un bon mot ne prouve rien.

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