#SOL18 Day 21 Quote of the Day

"To hold a pen is to be at war."
-Voltaire 

Every morning, a quote appears in my inbox through the magic of IFTTT, which I still don't fully understand. I love quotes, and so I enjoy reading a new one each day. Yesterday morning Voltaire's quote came, on what was the first day of spring. Interesting choice.

And now I try to process it. Does the quote mean that you are at war with yourself when you hold a pen- fighting to decide what to say and how? Slaying the demons known as Writer's Block? 

Does he instead mean that the pen is your weapon against the battles you choose to fight- maybe injustice? The pen is your defense of those who don't understand you or aim to hurt you? 

In my third grade classroom, we have a Chief Inspiration Officer (CIO) as one of our jobs. This person selects a quote to share with the class. We used to write them on a picture frame glitterboard, but after a few crashes with glass strewn in the classroom, I've switched to digital means of sharing our quotes, along with a fact of the day. Here is what I use on Buncee: https://farmingdale.edu.buncee.com/buncee/1e73d322f1e6460a88cb21329bf2521e

I always ask students what they think the quote of the day means. So today I will ask you- what do you think Voltaire meant when he said, "To hold a pen is to be at war" ?


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