Citations de Michel de Montaigne

Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne, 1533-1592

Quotations from Montaigne's Essays
selected and translated by Anthony Weir
with glosses and comments.

Michel de Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne
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31.1.11

Dédaignons cette faim de renommée et d'honneur, basse et belitresse, qui nous le fait coquiner de toute sorte de gens.

Spurn that hunger for honour and renown, worthless and base, which makes us puppets and pimps of all and sundry.

1 comment:

  1. 'Belitresse' is a fine archaism, with overtones of prostitution and cheap mischief, which nicely puts political ambition in its rightful squalid place within the moral sphere. How many politicians can we say are not puppets or pimps or prostitutes ?

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