“All mortals are equal; it is not their birth,
But virtue itself that makes the difference.”

—  Voltaire

Les mortels sont égaux; ce n'est pas la naissance,
C'est la seule vertu qui fait la différence.
Ériphyle Act II, scene I (1732); these lines were also later used in Voltaire's Mahomet, Act I, scene IV (1741)
Variant translations:
Men are equal; it is not birth, it is virtue alone that makes them differ.
As quoted in Beautiful Thoughts from French and Italian Authors (1866) edited by Craufurd Tait Ramage, p. 363 https://books.google.com/books?id=nDErAAAAYAAJ
Men are equal; it is not birth
But virtue that makes the difference
Citas

Original

Les mortels sont égaux; ce n'est pas la naissance, C'est la seule vertu qui fait la différence.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Sept. 27, 2023. History

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French writer, historian, and philosopher 1694–1778

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