A Disturbing Thought

Voltaire was of the opinion that very few people read, and even fewer think. He was also of the opinion that the thinkers aren't the ones who cause all the trouble in the world. While this might be true, it also seems a bit disappointing. Thinking people should be disturbing the world. Thinking people should be working to dispel ignorance wherever possible, even if this means "disturbing the world."

Divisez le genre humain en vingt parts. Il y en a dix-neuf composées de ceux qui travaillent de leurs mains,... ; dans la vingtième partie qui reste, combien trouve-t-on peu d'hommes qui lisent! Et parmi ceux qui lisent, il y en a vingt qui lisent des romans, contre un qui étudie la philosophie. Le nombre de ceux qui pensent est excessivement petit, et ceux-là ne s'avisent pas de troubler le monde. - Voltaire, Lettres Philosophiques