Denis Diderot (1713 - 1784) was a French philosopher and encyclopedist.

• "And with the guts of the last priest, let us strangle the last king."

• "Reason is to the philosopher what grace is to the Christian... Other men walk in darkness; the philosopher, who has the same passions, acts only after reflection; he walks through the night, but it is preceded by a torch. The philosopher forms his principles on an infinity of particular observations. He does not confuse truth with plausibility; he takes for truth what is true, for forgery what is false, for doubtful what is doubtful, and probable what is probable. The philosophical spirit is thus a spirit of observation and accuracy." (Encyclopédie article on Philosophy)

• "If I had believed him, everything would have been turned upside down...all would have been turned topsy-turvy to make room for impractical theories." (Catherine II about Diderot -- Spielvogel )

• "If exclusive privileges were not granted, and if the financial system would not tend to concentrate wealth, there would be few great fortunes and no quick wealth. When the means of growing rich is divided between a greater number of citizens, wealth will also be more evenly distributed; extreme poverty and extreme wealth would be also rare." (Encyclopédie article on Wealth)

• "Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things to order!"