I suffer from the disease of writing books and being ashamed of them when they are finished.
[J’ai la maladie de faire des livres et d’en être honteux quand je les ai faits.]
Charles-Lewis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) French political philosopher
Pensées Diverses [Assorted Thoughts], # 83 / 837 (1720-1755)
(Source)
(Source (French)). Other translations:It is a kind of sickness with me to compose books and to be ashamed of them afterwards.
[ed. Guterman (1963)]I have the disease of writing books and being ashamed of them when I have written them.
[tr. Clark (2012)]


