Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman François-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).
Born into a bourgeois family during the reign of Louis XIV, the “Sun King” (r. 1643-1715), Voltaire suffered tragedy at a young age when his mother died. Never close with his father or brother, Voltaire exhibited a rebellious attitude toward authority from his youth. His brilliant mind was fostered in the care of the Society of Jesus, who introduced him to the joys of literature and theater. Despite his later criticisms against the Church, Voltaire, throughout his life, fondly recalled his dedicated Jesuit teachers.
Although he spent time as a civil servant in the French embassy to the Hague, Voltaire’s main love was writing—an endeavor where he excelled in various genres, including poetry, which led to his appointment as the royal court poet for King Louis XV. Widely recognized as one of the greatest French writers, and even hyperbolically referred to by ...
Padre - Tom Miller invites you to a Coffee Talk, Speakeasies, Schmoozes, Tea Times, Afterhours and other gatherings.
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2026 Coffee Talk with the ADD Irregulars
Thursday, January 1, 2026
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Good morning, Digital Neighbors! Happy Thursday to all you Friends & Refugees, Early Birds & Later Dayers, Conversants & Lurkers, Phamily & Misfits, Free Thinkers and Seekers, ADD Irregulars, WSN Contributors, and Curmudgeons, Curmudgeonesses, and Curmudgeonettes. I’m not entirely sure what the difference is between those last two, but nonetheless, a good morning to all of you.
A few more quotes on leadership as we approach the anniversary of the United States of America. Today’s quotes focus on persuasion — a topic for which we fondly remember Scott Adams and his gift to the public discourse. I started watching him back in the days of Periscope on Twitter sometime in late 2015 or 2016. Of course I already knew him from Dilbert, but I was always more of a Calvin & Hobbes, Far Side, and Bloom County reader. I liked Dilbert, but the corporate world was never really my wheelhouse. Any-who, on to the quotes and a good Thursday ahead.
A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can...
