“that we must cultivate our garden.”
- Source
- Candide
- Date
- 1759
- Local voice
- Fictional character · Candide
- English wording
- Uncredited English translator in the represented Project Gutenberg #19942 edition · from French
Meaning of “that we must cultivate our garden.”
Candide turns away from endless abstract explanation toward concrete shared work, making the garden a practical answer to the suffering and argument that have filled the story.
Where does it come from?
Candide, Chapter XXX, Project Gutenberg #19942, uncredited public-domain English translation. Candide says “that we must cultivate our garden” to Pangloss and Martin near the tale’s close after reflecting on the old Turk’s life of work. This is translated fictional dialogue and literary resolution, not Voltaire autobiography or a literal guarantee that work resolves every hardship.
Why the local voice matters
Candide, Chapter XXX. Candide says this to Pangloss and Martin near the close of the tale; the English wording is translated fictional dialogue, not Voltaire autobiography.