Voltaire, the Man Frenchmen Love to Quote

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong

Today is the birthday of Voltaire, the French philosopher and author (1694-1778) who said

A company of tyrants is inaccessible to all seductions

A witty saying proves nothing

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well

As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities

And

Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law

Last but not least, Voltaire is the man Frenchmen love to quote as saying

I may not agree with you, but I will fight for your right to be able to say it

except that if, in the final analysis, you do not conclude (or you do not agree with the analysis) that the French are more humanistic, more wise, more humble, more brotherly, more generous, and more visionary than everybody else (especially those oafish Americans), that the type of society the French live in is conducive to such a fraternal state in every citoyen, and that French foreign policy invariably follows those humanistic principles, they (the French) will lose interest in what you have to say, snort in mockery, fly into a rage, and/or ask what are you doing living in France if you don't think that way…