Q0395
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the…” — Voltaire (Correspondence / traditional attribution)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Correspondence / traditional attribution. Theme: language.
English
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Correspondence / traditional attribution and files it under Political Liberalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Voltaire
Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet, 1694–1778) was the French Enlightenment’s sharpest satirist and campaigner for toleration, author of Candide and countless polemics. Imprisoned in the Bastille, exiled in England, resident at Cirey and Ferney, he fought judicial fanaticism in cases such as Calas.
Interpretation
This sentence is widely attributed to Voltaire but was written by his biographer Evelyn Beatrice Hall in 1906, as a summary of his attitude rather than a quotation of his words. It remains a clear statement of the principle he defended in specific cases, including the Calas affair. The distinction matters: the phrasing is Hall's, the commitment it describes is Voltaire's. Attribution matters more than usual here because the line is cited as evidence of what he actually said.
Why it matters
The principle survives the correction: the right defended belongs to the person you think is wrong, or it is not this principle. Defending speech you agree with tests nothing.
Concepts in this quote
- Language
- Language appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat language as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Freedom
- Freedom is among the most searched and most contested themes in philosophy: what it is to choose, to be responsible, and to live without illegitimate constraint.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Voltaire. (n.d.). I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0395
MLA: Voltaire. “I disapprove of what you say, but I….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0395.
Chicago: Voltaire. “I disapprove of what you say, but I….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0395.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “I disapprove of what you say, but I…”?
The passage is attributed to Voltaire, Correspondence / traditional attribution. The archive attributes this English wording to Correspondence / traditional attribution and files it under Political Liberalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Voltaire mean by language?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Ludwig Wittgenstein and Kwasi Wiredu), language is framed through Analytic Philosophy and Africana Philosophy. Some passages define language; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through language, freedom.