Quote:
Originally posted by sultan:
quote:
Originally posted by Azred:
That saying is normally attributed to Voltaire, who was French.
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While often mistakenly attributed to Voltaire, the quote, which it turns out I paraphrased rather than quoted precisely, is actually from a 1906 work about Voltaire's writings by Evelyn Beatrice Hall.
I've always assumed she was American, but i cannot be certain.[/QUOTE]
I agree; I remember being a little shocked to find out that he didn't really say that. [img]graemlins/saywhat.gif[/img] Me? Shocked? Only because my literature professor stated categorically that "yes, that is a direct quote from Voltaire". It is amazing what emotions a 19-year-old college student has when he realizes that [img]graemlins/erm.gif[/img] professors can be wrong. That is one of things that you know, but not until it hits you do you really realize it.
That being said, I think it is safe enough to attribute the quote to Voltaire himself in casual converstaion, but in any scholarly work it would have to be correctly cited. [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]
Quote:
Originally posted by Maelkin:
The above is actually why I took it down. It (Maelkin's former sig) seems to be misinterpreted by many people. I have to think of a way to re-word it so it is non-offensive and actually portrays the complete thought. I just wanted to keep it from being wordy.
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I wouldn't worry so much about being non-offensive; if you say "It's raining" you're likely to make someone upset these days (not here on IW, but in the off-line world it is possible).
Quote:
Originally posted by Maelkin:
In truth, most people follow a religious Philosophy , not a religion itself. After all, how many people actually agree 100% with everything a specific religion states, unless of course they have not taken the time to study what they think they are following.
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Usually those who are desperately looking for a quick and easy answer to life's problems jump to either religion or New Age philosophy and believe whatever they are told without doing their own homework; the peace they find, even if others don't understand or believe, is highly valuable. However, not every who is religious is looking for an easy answer, though (I'll just nip any comments about that in the bud [img]graemlins/beigesmilewinkgrin.gif[/img] ). That is probably what formed the foundation for your original quote. Good luck in your quest to re-word your thought.