"A few acres of snow" (in the original French, "quelques arpents de neige" with "vers le Canada") is one of several quotations from Voltaire, the 18th-century writer, which are representative of his sneering evaluation of Canada, and by extension New France, as lacking economic value and strategic importance to 18th-century France. The exact phrase first appears in 1758 in chapter 23 of Voltaire's book Candide, although the phrase "a few acres of ice" appeared in a letter he wrote in 1757. Voltaire wrote similar sarcastic remarks in other works.
Read more about A Few Acres Of Snow: Historical Context of The Quotations, Modern Usage
Famous quotes containing the words acres and/or snow:
“The same soil is good for men and for trees. A man’s health requires as many acres of meadow to his prospect as his farm does loads of muck.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“And before, with banner red,
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All unharmed by hail of lead,
With a step like snow so light,
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Crowned in wreath of roses white,
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