What does the saying 'we should tend our gardens' mean

A. It means that the simple life is best and we should just get on with things.

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Q. Where does it come from
A. The original line, 'il faut cultiver notre jardin', comes from the philosophical fantasy Candide (1759) by the French author and thorn in the side of the authorities Fran�ois-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire (1694-1778). The story was written as a satire on the philosophy of 'optimism' as put forward by the German mathematician and Rationalist philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716). The particular element of this philosophy that was ruthlessly lampooned by Voltaire was the proposition that, regardless of all the perceived evil, this is the 'best of all possible worlds' that God could have created.

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Q. What's the story
A. The narrative follows the trials and tribulations of Candide through a life of unwitting adventure and hardship. Everything awful that could happen to Candide and those around him does, including capture, shipwreck, earthquake and being flogged by the Spanish Inquisition. Despite everything, and flying in the face of all reason, he clings to the belief that all is for the best following the teachings of his mentor, Pangloss, a devotee of Leibnizian optimism. At the end Candide finally renounces absolute philosophical truths to settle for tending his garden.

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Q. Who was Voltaire
A. Voltaire was possibly the greatest figure of the Enlightenment in Europe and for over half a century remained the intellectual leader in France. Dramatist, historian, poet, philosopher and political and social reformer, Voltaire frequently found himself at odds with those in power. Between 1726 and 1728 he stayed in England, which he came to see as a model of reason and freedom of speech where the arts and sciences were encouraged and supported.

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He was an advocate of religious tolerance, and his Lettres Philosophiques (1734) brought him into conflict with the Church, eventually leading to a warrant for his arrest being issued. He travelled widely in Europe and in 1759 left Paris for the relative safety of Geneva, where he remained until shortly before his death. In February 1778 he returned to Paris in triumph, and died there in May the same year.

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He became a hero of the French Revolution, and his remains were moved to the Panth�on in 1791. Since his death, his reputation as one of the towering figures of the Enlightenment has continued to grow. Many of his works, particularly his plays and longer poems, are rarely read today, but his shorter prose pieces and his letters are regarded as some of the greatest examples of French literature.

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Q. What else did Voltaire say
A. Quotes and paraphrases from Voltaire's work crop up all over the place, but two in particular are frequently wheeled out: 'If God didn't exist we'd have to invent Him'; and 'I may not agree with a word you say, but I'd fight to the death your right to say it.'

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By Simon Smith