Voltaire
Traced to source
4 quotes we’ve traced to Voltaire
Not actually Voltaire
Often misattributed to Voltaire
Famous lines widely pinned on Voltaire that we’ve traced to someone else.
“Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung”
actually Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”
actually Evelyn Beatrice Hall
“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers”
actually Pierre-Marc-Gaston de Lévis
“Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense”
actually Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d’Holbach
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize”
actually Kevin Alfred Strom
“With great power comes great responsibility”
actually Spider-Man (Stan Lee & Steve Ditko)
On the research bench
Commonly pinned on Voltaire — under review
3 lines flagged as pinned on Voltaire and queued for a full source trace — not yet verified.
“History is but a fable agreed upon”
Disputed
“Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing”
Disputed
“Etymology is a science in which the vowels count for nothing, and the consonants for very little”
Disputed
Did they really say it?
Thought Voltaire said something else?
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