Candide, Can Didn't

There have been times in my life when I have pondered which book or author has left the biggest impression on me. I have often been without an answer until I realized it came from a book, or rather a novella, I read in my junior high years. No, it wasn’t for a book report. I picked it up at a sale one day, purchased it, and read it in a day.

At the time, I thought it was so short that it would not have such a lasting effect, but it has. At 58, it is one of the select few books I never forget. There have been many instances when I could not recall the title of the book. More so, there have been times when I could not even name the author. I could only recall the premise of the story.

Back in 1759, François-Marie Arouet wrote a little story called Candide. Some readers have read it. I now know it is a famous work of his. The book I read used François-Marie Arouet’s name. Only later did I realize he was better known as Voltaire. Today, many toss that name about in an attempt to impress others with their diverse literary acquaintance with the philosophical writer. I did not see it as something that I needed to do. I have only ever read this one work of his. The impression it left was far-reaching and has influenced my mind all these years. He and his work did their job.

I have read several French authors over the years. Voltaire, Honoré de Balzac, Zola, Hugo, and Montesquieu were all on my bookshelf back in those years. I cherished and protected them during all my family’s moves across the country, but eventually I lost them and never replaced them. Then, as time would have it, I forgot them, my classical men from France. I have always been a romantic, and they epitomized the genre in odd ways. Voltaire has never left me, though. Not in the physical form of a book, but in the philosophical sense.

On the surface, Candide is a satirical view of optimism. I didn’t understand satire when I read it. In fact, I didn’t even take it as a slam on the outlook of one of his contemporaries. What I took from it was my own. I embraced the optimism he was writing about in jest. The story of the man’s life, as he traverses his misery and comes away with a happy view of life as a whole, was what I grabbed hold of.

By the time I was in junior high, I had lived my fair share of misery. I was a sad little thing with nothing happy in her past. My outlook for my future in my family was not good either.

I saw Candide’s struggles as a mirror to my own life. I kept hearing his tutor’s advice as a mantra I could cling to, that things work together for good. I wanted that and needed Pangloss’s philosophy, even though Voltaire did not fully agree with it. So I grabbed the bull by the horns and took it for a ride.

He was not the only one in the book offering sage advice, as I interpreted it. Eventually, after his travels and experiences with misery and evil, Candide concludes that a simple life is the solution to his dilemma. He embraces that, grounding himself in simplicity and working diligently to create a life of peace, as the way to move forward. Having been born into a life of some stature and prominence, he chooses to give it up and humble himself to a life of calm. There is a satisfaction and a deep sense of personal happiness and contentment that comes from living a good and decent life. I wanted that for myself. These men gave that to me.

To this day, those ideals are deeply rooted in my psyche. I have come to realize that they were right, in whole or in part, in their ideals. Life is a combination of all of their philosophies. Everything does work out for the best at some point. A simple life of hard work is an honorable way to make your day. It gives us a great sense of accomplishment and self-worth.

It keeps us out of trouble and makes the time pass without dragging into boredom.

Although Voltaire wrote satirically, likely because of the hardships of his time and the forces at play in the world, I see his work as relevant across all phases of life and throughout time. The principles are there, if not the exact circumstances.

Optimism isn’t putting our heads in the sand. It’s about holding on and knowing that the negatives don’t last forever; in the end, you learn from struggle and come out wiser.

Hard work is not an enemy but a developer of self-esteem, self-worth, and self-awareness of our powers as human beings and individuals. There is no downside to that. Well, maybe a bruise or two.

Simplification of our lives and contentment are not to be regarded as weak or lacking. It's humble, yes, but not in a demeaning way. Humility is a form of wisdom that means being okay with not being worshipped for who you are and what you do. It is the knowledge that you are satisfied with yourself. More importantly, it is an acknowledgment that you are content with yourself and your accomplishments, and that you are content in who you are.

It’s okay not to have it all. It’s okay to be you. It’s more than okay. You are a light, either dim or bright, in the world. Shine your light. Dispel the darkness.

(Published on Medium in Illuminations, May 2026)

#classicanliterature #voltaire #writing #life #lifelessons #humanity #wisdom