Meaning

Voltaire is pointing out that the act of appreciating excellence in another person is not a passive or selfless gesture but one that actually enriches the person doing the appreciating. When we recognize and genuinely value a quality in someone else, whether it is kindness, skill, or wisdom, we internalize something of it. That quality becomes part of how we see the world, and in that sense it becomes ours too.

Context

This observation fits naturally within the Enlightenment emphasis on cultivating the mind and moral sensibility. Voltaire was deeply interested in how human beings relate to one another and how society can be improved through reason and feeling alike. The sentiment echoes ideas found across his correspondence and philosophical writings, where he frequently explored what makes human connection meaningful and what habits of mind tend to elevate rather than diminish us.

About the author

Voltaire was the pen name of the French writer and philosopher Francois-Marie Arouet, born in 1694 and died in 1778. One of the towering figures of the European Enlightenment, he wrote across an extraordinary range of forms including satire, history, drama, and philosophical tales. Despite facing censorship, imprisonment, and exile during his lifetime, he remained a prolific and influential voice for reason, tolerance, and human dignity. His works continue to be read and quoted across the world centuries after his death.