'Words, like fire, the property of all'
“Theinstruction we find in books is like fire. We fetch it from our neighbours,kindle it at home, communicate it to others, and it becomes the property ofall.” – Voltaire
One ofhistory’s great thinkers and writers, François-Marie Arouet,known simply as Voltaire, was aFrench Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit andhis advocacy of freedom of religion, speech, and the separation of church andstate.
Born in Paris on this date in 1694,he wrote down or espoused many of the ideas that influenced our own nation’sfounding fathers (He was a longtime close friend of Benjamin Franklin, forexample). Voltaire had a massive writing output with over 2,000 booksand pamphlets, myriad plays, poems, essays, historic and scientific works, and some20,000 letters.
An outspoken advocate of civilliberties and individual rights, he is credited with a quote (or variations thereof) that served as inspiration for the United States’ 1st Amendment.
"I may disapprove of what yousay,” Voltaire said, “but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
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