[Ads-l] Quotation: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. Attributed to Voltaire

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The statement in the subject line is a member of a family of sayings
attributed to Voltaire. Previous researchers identified a partial
match in letter number eleven within Voltaire's work “Collection des
Lettres sur les Miracles” (“Collection of Letters on Miracles”). The
partially matching statement contains the word "injuste" ("unjust")
and not "atrocities".

1765: Certainement qui est en droit de vous rendre absurde, est en
droit de vous rendre injuste

Translation 01: Certainly, whoever has the right to make you absurd
has the right to make you unjust

Translation 02: Truly, whoever can make you look absurd can make you
act unjustly

Translation 03: Certainly anyone who has the power to make you believe
absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices

The Quote Investigator article explores matches in English using the
word "atrocities" which began to appear by 1914.

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2021/11/08/absurdities/

Voltaire usually received credit for these sayings, and they form a
natural family although the precise phrasings and meanings vary. The
following overview with dates shows the evolution:

1914: As long as people continue to believe absurdities they will
continue to commit atrocities (Spoken by a fictional version of
Voltaire)

1933: Men will continue to commit atrocities as long as they continue
to believe absurdities (Described as “formula of Voltaire”)

1936: Men will continue to commit atrocities as long as they continue
to believe absurdities (Attributed to Voltaire)

1937: If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities
(Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan)

1944: Men will be brutal so long as they believe absurdities
(Attributed to Voltaire)

1946: People who believe in absurdities will commit atrocities
(Attributed to a great thinker)

1960: Certainly any one who has the power to make you believe
absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices. (Translation
of Voltaire by Norman L. Torrey)

1963: Those who can persuade us to believe absurdities can make us
commit atrocities (Described as a dictum of Voltaire by Norman L.
Torrey)

1977: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit
atrocities (Attributed to Voltaire)

Feedback welcome
Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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