Cultivating Our Garden

I recently reread the novella Candide (1759) by Voltaire. To me, Voltaire was teaching us about the real world where there is crime, murder, war, pandemics, and stupid people, but also great people and great things happening. The last sentence in the book has Candide saying, “…but let us cultivate our garden.” I interpret that as a metaphor for focusing on personal responsibilities and living a simple, productive life. Candide suffered a great deal of misfortune, yet he still remained grateful for all he had. We need to spend our time working on all the tasks we excel at and our lives will improve considerably.

“All that is very well,” answered Candide, “but let us cultivate our garden.” ~ Voltaire, Candide, Conclusion

In the end, Candide realized that individuals should focus on tending to their own affairs and making best of their own circumstances, rather than getting caught up the chaos and negativity of the world around them. It can also be seen as a call to action for self-improvement and taking control of one’s own destiny. Tending our garden will keep us from being idle and enable us to hone and develop our skills.

Byron's Babbles