Voltaire's famous phrase

[JF]

as it was quoted in recent discussions, I Googled a bit and found that Voltaire never said this, although it was part of his philosophy :

in french

http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/hoax/2011/04/14/arretez-avec-le-je-me-battrai-pour-vous-de-voltaire-199690
http://www.projet-voltaire.fr/blog/actualite/voltaire-na-jamais-dit-je-ne-suis-pas-daccord-avec-vous-mais-je-me-battrai
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation_apocryphe

in english

http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/www_vf/about_voltaire/didnt_say.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Beatrice_Hall
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/331.html
http://www.themarysue.com/voltaire-beatrice-evelyn-hall/

[dmg]

Quite interesting.  I already knew the "play it again, Sam" was false but "beam me up Scotty?"   

[JF]

yes and another one :

Cambronne never said niether "shit" neither " Guard dies but does not surrender"

as he explained : "I could not have said "the Guard dies but does not surrender," since I'm not dead and I I surrendered


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Cambronne
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Cambronne

[Jules]

Quite interesting.  I already knew the "play it again, Sam" was false but "beam me up Scotty?"   

Play it again, Sam, actually is the name of a Woody Allen film based on his own Broadway play where his character tries to seduce a woman and he sees Humprey Bogart dressed like in Casablanca in his imagination giving him advices. That sentence comes from that film and as Bogart impersonation (it´s not him actually) is dressed like in the famous film, it´s commonly believed that the sentence is from Casablanca.

[herlock]

yes and another one :

Cambronne never said niether "shit" neither " Guard dies but does not surrender"

as he explained : "I could not have said "the Guard dies but does not surrender," since I'm not dead and I I surrendered


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Cambronne
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Cambronne

Excellent JF about Cambronne
As for Voltaire, yes he did not say it, nor did he applied it fully (He had Rousseau given the stick !) but still the sentence is admirable and should guide us... I am not at all for censorship, whatever the reason, and I kind of respectfully disagree with the stand the editors have taken for this forum (although I know they are sensible persons and will not censor unfairly, I never felt myself restricted by these rules, because my respect for others will prevent me from breaking them).

[JF]

totally agree Herlock. This sentence is indeed admirable and it should be applied in many circumstances, especially in situations far more serious than debates about MK's setlists....



as for Cambronne, I love Jean Yanne's one, but hard to translate in english, I guess :

"Cambronne ne mâchait pas ses mots....heureusement pour lui"

[herlock]

totally agree Herlock. This sentence is indeed admirable and it should be applied in many circumstances, especially in situations far more serious than debates about MK's setlists....



as for Cambronne, I love Jean Yanne's one, but hard to translate in english, I guess :

"Cambronne ne mâchait pas ses mots....heureusement pour lui"

LOL ))