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To determine the true rulers of any society, all you must do is ask yourself this question: Who is it that I am not permitted to criticize?

— Voltaire Misattributed

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Notes from Wikiquote

Commonly repeated by far-right politicians.

Variants

"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize."

More quotes by Voltaire

There are truths which are not for all men, nor for all times.

It is very strange that men should deny a creator and yet attribute to themselves the power of creating eels.

Dictionnaire philosophique portatif (1764)

Satire lies about literary men while they live and eulogy lies about them when they die.

We have never intended to enlighten shoemakers and servants—this is up to apostles.

Whoe'er thou art, thy master see;
He was—or is—or is to be.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Voltaire (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.