“I do not agree with a word you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it (Beck 198).” These words, spoken by Voltaire himself, are the perfect words to describe Voltaire's mission in life. Voltaire had a major impact on the freedoms people enjoy today by defending to the death the rights of human beings to freedom of speech, thought and religion with his philosophical abilities influenced by other great philosophers. When a child named François-Marie Arouet was born in Paris, France on November 21, 1694, the citizens had no idea that he would one day become one of the greatest and most influential men of the 17th and 18th centuries (the European "Voltaire" ). Keep in mind that he wasn't exactly called a “great philosophical thinker,” with his biting wit and cold temper (Sherman “Voltaire”). The young François-Marie was often known to be vain, short-tempered, disgruntled and usually quite witty and these qualities would eventually come back to bite him whenever he attempted to make allies as he grew up. Instead, they would help achieve Voltaire's goals for human rights, as well as his educational studies (Redman 7). Voltaire had many interests when it came to learning, but his father insisted that he attend law school, a subject in which he had no experience. an interest. He attended higher education at Louis le-Grand and Voltaire eventually changed his major to literature, but not before getting those law lessons. This little knowledge would take Voltaire very far in his mission, as would his long list of occupations. Working as an author, Voltaire made available to human beings over 70 novels on studies he found interesting, many of which were critical stories about people, places, governments... at the heart of the paper... it is now a common thought: the people are not expected to be ignorant; they are expected to be informed. Voltaire informed and reformed the world with his opinions and ideas; all while being influenced by other great philosophers. Although Voltaire and these other influential minds are no longer alive, their philosophies will continue to exist for centuries. Works Cited "Voltaire, Francois Marie Arouet DE". European authors, 1000-1900. 1967. BiographyReference Bank (H.W. Wilson) Web. 12 September 2012. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/delivery?sid=5f048571-1747-4a29-9af7-38...Redman, Ben Ray. The portable Voltaire. New York, New York. Viking Penguin, Inc., 1945Beck, Roger B. et al. History of the modern world: models of interaction. Philadelphia: RandMcNally, 2002. Sherman, Carol L. “Voltaire.” Advanced World Book. Book of the World, 2012. Web. 24 September2012.