Chapter & Verse

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Taylor Chiu seeks a citation for words attributed to Jane Austen: “Teach us that we may feel the importance of every hour, every minute, as it passes.”

Eliot Kieval, intrigued by the famous assertion “I disapprove of [sometimes, disagree with] what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” frequently attributed to Voltaire, is eager to learn of any similar declarations, in any language, that predate the 1906 publication of The Friends of Voltaire, by “Stephen G. Tallentyre” (the pen name of English writer Evelyn Beatrice Hall). The quotation is reported to be Hall’s paraphrase of Voltaire’s attitude; Fred R. Shapiro, editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, writes in that volume that the quotation “does not appear…in Voltaire’s writings.”

“Together” (July-August). Carmen Munnelly recognized Ludwig Lewisohn’s poem “Together,” which begins, “You and I by this lamp with these/few books shut out the world…” and ends, “And this is marriage, this is love.” Jo Salas cited Grace Paley’s “Hand-Me-Downs,” from Begin Again: Collected Poems, for its similar theme.

Send inquiries and answers to “Chapter and Verse,” Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138, or via e-mail to chapterandverse@harvardmag.com.

Click here for the September-October 2013 issue table of contents

You might also like

No More [Lovin’ That] Dirty Water

Enjoying the Boston Harbor’s Renaissance This Summer

Reconstructing the Berlin Wall

David Leo Rice explores the strange, unseen forces shaping our world.

On the Margins

Filmmaker John Armstrong’s “outdoor adventures” find the human spirit.

Most popular

House Committee Subpoenas Harvard Over Tuition Costs

The University must turn over all requested materials related to tuition and financial aid by mid-July. 

The Power of Patience

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

The Professor Who Quantified Democracy

Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

Explore More From Current Issue

David Leo Rice on 'The Berlin Wall'

David Leo Rice explores the strange, unseen forces shaping our world.

Saluting the 2025 Centennial Medalists

Four alumni of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are honored.

How Harvard Students Handle Political Disagreements

The Undergraduate asks if intellectualism is really on life support.