Il est defendu de tuer; tout meurtrier est puni, a moins qu'il n'ait tue en grande compagnie, et au son des trompettes.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Voltaire satirizes how society treats mass violence or war differently from individual crime.
- In plain terms
- Killing is a crime unless it is done on a large scale with fanfare.
- What can you take from it?
- Society often glorifies large scale violence while punishing small scale violence.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why is war often seen as heroic?
- Is justice applied equally to the powerful?
Another view
War is regulated by international law while murder is not always treated equally.
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