Indeed, Voltaire preached—
by example rather than by precept—
that the recognition of the truth
that this world is filled with evils
leads to a certain good humor.
If this life is a desert,
it is our duty to make an oasis in it;
if this life is a shipwreck,
we must rescue as many as we can,
and not forget to sing in the lifeboats.
Peter Gay, Voltaire’s Candide: A Bilingual Edition
