Ukip

[TheHeathens]

Not wrong. I am aware of the other documentary source for what has become the received wisdom of what Voltaire did not actually say.

So you will know, Graham, that there is doubt over whether the term appears in the letter that Guterman refers to so you can't actually say with any more certainty than I can.

Most "everyday" quotations are wrong- they are corrupted over time and misuse and if the sense is the same that does not matter too much- but when great minds are quoted by name I feel one should check what they actually did utter before using them in one's defence.

Indeed, 'one' should take one's own advice.

To quote Tallentyre / Hall:

"I did not mean to imply that Voltaire used these words verbatim and should be surprised if they are found in any of his works. They are rather a paraphrase of Voltaire's words in the Essay on Tolerance — "Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too."