Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·131 of 348
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. — Voltaire"
They never said that.
What people say
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. — Voltaire"
What was actually said
"Evelyn Beatrice Hall wrote it in 1906 to summarise Voltaire's stance." Evelyn Beatrice Hall — Evelyn Beatrice Hall, The Friends of Voltaire (1906)
Why it stuck
Hall was paraphrasing, in Voltaire's voice, her interpretation of his defence of Helvétius. Readers took the paraphrase for quotation and the attribution stuck.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.