Against Voltaire: a rant.

Evelyn Beatrice Hall, who wrote under the name S G Tallentyre, came up with the line 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it'.

Yes, that's right, it's usually attributed to Voltaire, but this is fair enough, really, because that quotation is Hall's summing up of Voltaire's attitude to free speech. It appears in her 1906 book The Friends of Voltaire.

I think that most of us will agree with the sentiment. 

I do wish, however, there was some equally famous line which says:

I approve of what you think, but for heaven's sake keep quiet about it until we get home.

It would make get-togethers of friends, family, and work mates so much easier, wouldn't it.

Word To Use Today: approve. This word comes from the Latin probāre to test.