--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do not agree with a word that you say…" description: "\"I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.\" — Voltaire" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/voltaire-173_death_i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say_2140968.png" --- # I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend… ![“I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/voltaire-173_death_i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say_2140968.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/voltaire-173_death_i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say_2140968.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/voltaire-173_death_i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say_2140968.png) > “I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Defending free speech even when you disagree with the content. **In simple terms:** Support speech despite disagreement. Key Takeaway Uphold free expression. Themes freedom speech tolerance Mood thoughtful principled Type ethical political When to use this quote - political debate - online forums - classroom discussions - media commentary Key Concepts liberalism civil rights Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance free speech with preventing harm? - When should speech be limited? A Different Perspective Defending speech can be dangerous if it spreads hate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ## Related quotes > [I disapprove of what you say, but I defend to the death your right to say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-disapprove-of-what-you-say-but-i-defend-to-the-death-your-right-to/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-disapprove-of-what-you-say-but-i-will-defend-to-the-death-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-may-not-agree-with-what-you-have-to-say-but-i-will-defend-to-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I may not agree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-may-not-agree-with-what-you-have-to-say-but-i-shall-defend-to-the/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I think you should defend to the death their right to march, and then go down and meet them with baseball bats. (On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-think-you-should-defend-to-the-death-their-right-to-march-and-then/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I have high hopes for my kids, and I'll defend them to the death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cowherd/i-have-high-hopes-for-my-kids-and-i-ll-defend-them-to-the-death/) [Colin Cowherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cowherd/) > [I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-do-not-agree-with-what-you-have-to-say-but-i-ll-defend-to-the-death/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Je ne suis pas d'accord avec ce que vous dites, mais je d‚fendrai jusqu'... la mort le droit que vous avez de le dire/…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/je-ne-suis-pas-d-accord-avec-ce-que-vous-dites-mais-je-d-fendrai/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Your confession must absolutely agree with the Word of God!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-b-joshua/your-confession-must-absolutely-agree-with-the-word-of-god/) [T. B. Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/) > [I suppose there is something appealing about a word that everyone uses with absolute confidence but on whose exact meaning no two people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/i-suppose-there-is-something-appealing-about-a-word-that-everyone/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [I agree with every word you write, and I can prove this in no better way than by taking your advice from beginning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-agree-with-every-word-you-write-and-i-can-prove-this-in-no-better/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Your reputation is harmed the most by what you say to defend it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/your-reputation-is-harmed-the-most-by-what-you-say-to-defend-it/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“All our lives we sweat and save Building for a shallow grave Must be something else we say Somehow to defend this place Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/all-our-lives-we-sweat-and-save-building-for-a-shallow-grave-must-be/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [I will not say nothing. I will defend my church and my religion when it is insulted and spit on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/i-will-not-say-nothing-i-will-defend-my-church-and-my-religion-when/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [I think you should defend to the death their right to march, and then go down and meet them with baseball bats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-think-you-should-defend-to-the-death-their-right-to-march-and-then-2/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) ## More by Voltaire > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/fanaticism-to-which-men-are-so-much-inclined-has-always-served-not/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-re-neither-pure-nor-wise-nor-good-we-do-the-best-we-know/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-life-it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/providence-has-given-us-hope-and-sleep-as-a-compensation-for-the-many/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/men-use-thought-only-to-justify-their-wrong-doings-and-employ-speech/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) [Explore all 934 Voltaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Voltaire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say-but-i-will-defend-to-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say-but-i-will-defend-to-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/voltaire-173_death_i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say_2140968.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/voltaire-173_death_i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say_2140968.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/voltaire-173_death_i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say_2140968.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” — Voltaire", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Voltaire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I do not agree with a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say-but-i-will-defend-to-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-do-not-agree-with-a-word-that-you-say-but-i-will-defend-to-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```