Candide

"I know also," said Candide, "that we must cultivate our garden."

"You are right," said Pangloss, "for when man was first placed in the
Garden of Eden, he was put there _ut operaretur eum_, that he might
cultivate it; which shows that man was not born to be idle."

"Let us work," said Martin, "without disputing; it is the only way to
render life tolerable."

The whole little society entered into this laudable design, according to
their different abilities. Their little plot of land produced plentiful
crops. Cunegonde was, indeed, very ugly, but she became an excellent
pastry cook; Paquette worked at embroidery; the old woman looked after
the linen. They were all, not excepting Friar Giroflée, of some service
or other; for he made a good joiner, and became a very honest man.

Pangloss sometimes said to Candide:

"There is a concatenation of events in this best of all possible worlds:
for if you had not been kicked out of a magnificent castle for love of
Miss Cunegonde: if you had not been put into the Inquisition: if you had
not walked over America: if you had not stabbed the Baron: if you had
not lost all your sheep from the fine country of El Dorado: you would
not be here eating preserved citrons and pistachio-nuts."

"All that is very well," answered Candide, "but let us cultivate our
garden."

And so ends Candide, a little book that has fascinated me for a number of years. It is short and witty, it is philosophical. But it is this last few paragraphs that I have always liked, out heroes have suffered and seen great suffering all over 17th century Europe, have engaged with various philosophies including the Leibenitzian optimism that we live with a benevolent God, which Voltaire fiercely disputes - if God is so benevolent why all the suffering. The Lisbon earthquake and the seven years war for example. In the end our hero Candide, resolves that gardening is the most productive pursuit of humainty.