I disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
-Voltaire
This sentence is widely circulated, even in Voltaire's native France, it is regarded as a "wise saying"! It is under the cover of this "famous saying" that some deviant and shocking remarks in France in recent years, especially some xenophobic, xenophobic and racist remarks, have become popular in TV, radio, lectures, salons and newspapers. Under the banner of "defending the right to speak to the death", it seems that everything can be allowed! Speech enjoys the right of "absolute freedom". However, this is just an "illusion". Absolute freedom of speech does not exist and should not exist, just as Voltaire's "famous saying" is just a misinformation! Voltaire never said such a thing, or even thought of it.
Evelyn Beatrice Hall, a British woman writer, first put forward this famous saying. She quoted this sentence in the book Friends of Voltaire published by 1906. Later, it was quoted in another book, Voltaire's Letters. But then Hall made it clear that she "summed up" Voltaire's thoughts. Her basis is the "helvetius Incident". Voltaire didn't like the book On Spirit written by claude adrian Helvetius, calling it "a jumble of thoughts"; But when this encyclopedic philosopher's book was attacked by the church and the authorities after it was published, Voltaire defended it. So Hall wrote when commenting on this matter: "I don't agree with you, but I will defend your right to speak to the death" has been his consistent attitude since then. "She" mistakenly "put quotation marks on her comments, so that later generations thought it was from Voltaire himself. Hall herself later admitted in a letter dated 1939 that she "mistakenly" enclosed this sentence in quotation marks, which led to readers' misunderstanding. She wrote in the letter: "The sentence' I don't agree with you, but I will defend your right to speak to the death' that you read in my book" Letters of Voltaire "is my own words, and I shouldn't put it in quotation marks. My unintentional mistake misled you and made you think it was Voltaire's words. Please accept my apology. " Hall's letter was later included in a book published by 1943. Charles Wiltz, curator of the Voltaire Museum in Geneva, mentioned this in a TV interview with 1994 to prove that Voltaire never said or wrote this famous saying.