Often attributed to French writer Francois-Marie Arouet –better known to us as Voltaire – it is much more likely that rather than being a direct quote from the man himself, this incredible line was actually penned by English writer Evelyn Beatrice Hall.

Hall, who wrote under the pen name S G Tallentyre, used the phrase in her biography The Friends of Voltaire as a summation of the Frenchman’s beliefs and, as we know, it has come to represent the very essence of free speech.

But if you want to quote Voltaire himself, how about “to hold a pen is to be at war”, a line he included in a letter to his niece Marie-Louise Denis in May 1752.

As the world comes to grips with the horrific attack on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo by extremists claiming to represent Yemeni Al-Qaeda, there have been some incredible scenes, with rallies across the globe that saw thousands of people defiantly hold aloft pens as they protested the murders.

We saw and heard Je suis Charlie become the catchcry for free speech and we saw world leaders link arms and lead a protest march through the streets of Paris.

Tears have been shed for those killed in the attacks, as there should have been.

But if we really want to honour the memories of the Charlie Hebdo staff, we will debate and continue to debate the  meaning of free speech.

We know speech in Australia isn’t totally free. There are laws that are designed to protest people against discrimination and bigotry.

Right now there is a debate in Australia about whether or not the federal government should repeal Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which makes it unlawful for someone to do something that is reasonably likely to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” someone because of their race or ethnicity.

As far as I am concerned, debate in the community is wonderful.

The more widely the issue is debated, the more people will stop to consider the question of free speech and how far we want absolute freedom to be reined in as a protection of the community.

What exactly do you consider to be free speech?

How far would you go to protect it and how much government regulation do we need?

And would you die to defend it?