Why Voltaire Said: You Must Cultivate Your Own Garden

Very poor interpretation of Voltaire's meaning, given we follow the characters over 150 pages of adventures rooted in finding El Dorado and riches. They find only greed and corruption. Voltaire wrote the story in response to the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755. It was interpreted by many Europeans as God's wrath on the Portuguese for being such a greedy corrupt colonialist state, deeply dependent on slavery in all their colonies. The 1755 earthquake, fire and tsunami shocked Europe and Voltaire made his comment on greed and imperialism here in this story. Basically, don't seek fortune abroad, stay home and cultivate the good life where you live.

I never really realized until now, but my grandfather and great grandfather followed this philosophy so well. When I look back at it, their actions and way of life all makes sense.

Social media, the place that basically requires everyone's opinion in order to harvest attention is the absolute antithesis to this and therefore culpable for stirring up global anxiety. The polarization of just about everything these days in America is numbing.

It was hard for the Armenians to cultivate their own garden when the Turks committed genocide on them. It's good to cultivate one's garden, but one should not be ignorant of one's surroundings and should take action when one's land or livelihood is threatened.

We still live in a big world with many bad people who want to steal our gardens. Quite a paradox, yes worry about your own business, but you can’t burry your head in the sand on the larger picture. There’s a great big world out there that can and will effect your life. Good luck, geopolitics is a bitch. The whole world is your garden

Voltaire meant to say is that ' we don't need to find a drop in an ocean
We're an entire ocean in a drop'

Voltaire wants us again to start a primitive life😂

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

-Edmund burke

When Voltaire was referring to cultivating one’s own garden towards the end of Candide—after describing the evil, tyrannical world that Candide traveled through—-Voltaire was fascinated by the Turkish Dervish sitting in meditation and prayer, living his quiet, peaceful life.
So glad that this video reminds us of Voltaire’s fairness in not neglecting the work of the dervishes while critiquing organized religions with their provincial, violent tendencies.

Thanks for reminding us of this funny, picaresque work. 😊

“Il fau cultiver notre jardin”

Aristotle believed money shouldn't breed. Wtf is advertising

This is so especially true. During Covid, I paid strong attention to the news of everything wrong with the world socially etc. but not with a view to even somehow believe I could fix it, because there's a lot to fix, and I was still working on even myself. Try and help something external improve bit by bit without oberwhelming yourself with hopelesness. We can make positive change.

👍 … es ist sehr verständnisvoll erklärt 🙏🏿👋❤

Basically “mind your own business” 18th century version hehe

Going inwards, living simply; essence of emphasis of most great guru, philosopher and teachers.

But on the contrary if what u are is a fighter it is ur dharma and duty to fight and risk, and become an inspiration and idol. We can say lots of freedom fighters risked their own lives against perverse authorities and they should’ve just minded their own business or cultivated their own garden instead of dying, but if it was meaningful for them that is what matters the most that’s their way of cultivating their garden with motivation to keep on resisting ~

But if ur selling fruits just sell that with ur heart n soul surely reap its fruits and obv meddling with politics won’t do much but cause stress, some people are cultivators and preservers in the material world hence its best to stay low and record and keep growing to preserve others’ happiness ;)

So it just depends on who you are and what fulfills the garden of the heart, for some it’s about fighting and destroying the unjust, or creating. Depends ;) but always the key is simplicity. Too much extra notions will feed the ego.
Preserver, creator, destroyer Hinduism style,

But it is true to create a haven inside ur mind so u can return n reflect on things without getting manipulated by the world like our inner security, our home. And to keep it very simple have simple and true ideas of who you are that resonates with ur spirit so when you are lost you unconsciously don’t lose yourself and jeopardize what you are really, that beautiful garden where the inner child resides, that soul which everyone possesses.

this conclusion seems more like hedonism through escapism... i prefer carping some diems

completely wrong... he meant that by learning to appreciate what is small you learn the importance of what is big. A society can only function if everyone understands the smaller parts that makes it big. Really, the nonsense i hear and read these days.. sigh... I am a master in french filology

If one can cultivate ones own garden, then can one cultivate ones own free will?

Was Voltaire any relation to Robespierre?

This has NEVER been more true than today. If you are English, or a yank, you must surely despair at the lunacy of your Government.

That’s if you pay it any mind.

It is a truism of stress management to give attention only to that which you can control.

But the difference between now and then is that back then it was not possible to destroy the whole world with the touch of a button.

So I guess the concept of ‘notre jardin’ has to be elastic to some extent. e.g. The garden of England needs weeding.

The elected Tories, plus Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, plus Sir Rodney Starmer belong on the compost heap

Mind your own business for piece of mind or is it peace of mind...whatever it is...mind your own garden.

At the end it is confusing to switch to a direct French quote.

I actually found something like this in my own journey.

Good advice.

warning to listeners - the first 2 minutes of this analysis is actually COMPLETLY WRONG

Great wisdom for it's time, although today many people live with the existential dread of not being able to attain this state. People are under the illusion that they have to work themselves to death because property ownership will unlock this "peaceful simple life". Yet they entirely skip the parts about not living in the heads of strangers and having a project to work on. I think the real message of value here is to worry less about the opinion of others, consume less useless things, and spend less time reading other people's opinions so you can focus on actual activities for yourself. You have already failed by even reading this comment. Get off your device.

Just finished Candide, and as a self-described idealist who has tried for the past year to come up with the most ideal society, typically within the realm of communism or syndicalism, the ending of Candide disappointed me.

But it disappointed me in a way that I think I really needed to be disappointed. Because society almost always disappoints us, and it is likely that this is exactly what Voltaire aimed to do with Candide.

Pay attention to only your garden and watch your rights disappear.

Again I see this video, this channel really sucks, this message is dangerous, it encourages people to remain sheep, makes the sheep feel good about themselves.

The act of not participating, or not knowing, is still an action you take and it has ramifications on you and the world.

3 days. 25 ounces of mushrooms, and an ounce of opium..tends to open ones mind. When one looks deep into his life. One will find this to be true

"You must cultivate your own garden"...More revelant now for the political situation we are in.

We need this right now. Very helpful

No, we English do not cultivate, we buy from the rest of the world. lol

is this what i needed to hear now that trump has won his second term? should i not worry about climate refugees or seniors in poorly managed nursing homes, because there always will be some suffering and i must make my peace with it? after i am gone there will be more injustice and cruelty. so what did i accomplish? i think i should try to help others, those that i can but i should not delude myself into thinking i am god and that i can stop all suffering everywhere. i should accept what humans are. and accept my place as a human. 🤷‍♀

More relevant than ever

I understood it as "take care of your own shit first".

There’s a similar saying in India that goes like -“khaali dimaag shaitaan ka ghar” (evil nests in an empty mind - loosely)
Which means that mind gets sick when it’s in the state of non-utility, it advises you to take up constructive jobs and focus your mind on the job at hand - an empty mind attracts all sorts of of troubles, worries and anxiety

A dear friend recently passed away by his own hands. He had planned his own funeral and used this quote for his ceremony. It's as if he gave all of us his last advice that he couldn't live up to himself. It breaks my heart, but I will try to follow this advice.

I agree with this video. While we cannot live under a rock, my mind is filled with anxiety when i read about inequality, eroding democracy and climate change. I will read about them, discuss if possible with other people, donate some money to ngos and cast my vote. Thats all i can do. Hoping to change things too much is going to wreck my mental health. We all have to do what we have to do but at the same time detach from the absurdities and evils of the society most of the times to keep ourselves sane.

What the special in this video its common man life but not affective by the way I m indian

Genesis 2:15

Where do you get all of these amazing images?

To tend your own garden does not need to mean just mind your own business or be idle. it means to focus on things that really matter to you. On the other hand It can be revolutionary and controversial to do nothing in a society that expects you to do something about something.

Just finished reading Candide for the first time and maybe i wasn't ready for it when i was younger

4;00

I love Voltaire but Candide always bothered me because of that: yes there is too much optimists and this is why retreating to your orchard is a coward movement and I dare to say it is a flawed interpretation of a man that dealt with politics all life defying the establishment and paying very high prices for that.

“I am an old man but a young gardener. “ - Thomas Jefferson in his retirement

🇨🇦💂 Voltaire should have adopted an ounce of his own prescription.