Who said the words, ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to Death your right to say it’?

George Bernard Shaw
Vladimir Lenin
Voltaire
Mahatma Gandhi

The correct answer is Voltaire.

Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his attacks on intolerance and religious dogma, and his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. He was a prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, novels, essays, histories, and scientific treatises.

The quote “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to Death your right to say it” is often attributed to Voltaire, but there is no evidence that he actually said it. The earliest known occurrence of the quote is in a letter written by the English writer Evelyn Beatrice Hall in 1906. Hall was writing about Voltaire’s defense of the French philosopher Jean Calas, who was falsely accused of murdering his son. Hall wrote:

“It is incumbent upon every man to defend his neighbor’s right to say what he thinks, even if he thinks it wrong.”

The quote has since been widely misattributed to Voltaire, but it is important to remember that there is no evidence that he actually said it.

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