Liberals frequently quote Voltaire saying, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. But did he really say it? The provenance of this quote is often given as disputed, but Danny Finkelstein in The Times this week had an excellent summary where those words really came from. You can read his piece here.
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Ah, um, is this another one of those “I thought everyone knew this” moments?
It’s a good quote, but Danny’s right on the button, it’s not a direct quote.
Tom Paine’s ‘He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression.’ quote is better in any case. Or is that wrongly attributed too?