Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionnée], Part 2 “Characters and Anecdotes [Caractères et Anecdotes],” ch. 12 (1795) [tr. Merwin (1969)]

Dave — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 14:02:07 +0000

Man comes to each age of his life as a novice.

[L’homme arrive novice à chaque âge de la vie.]

Nicolas Chamfort (1741–1794) French writer, epigrammist (b. Nicolas-Sébastien Roch)
Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionnée], Part 2 “Characters and Anecdotes [Caractères et Anecdotes],” ch. 12 (1795) [tr. Merwin (1969)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

Man arrives a novice at every age of life.
[ed. Mathews (1878)]

Man reaches each stage in his life as a novice.
[tr. Hutchinson (1902), "The Cynic's Breviary"]

A man begins every stage of his life as a novice.
[tr. Parmée (2003), ¶ 422]

Lichtenberg, Georg C. -- Aphorisms, Notebook C, #16 [142] (1772-73) [tr. Hollingdale (1960)]

Dave — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 19:28:27 +0000

Act as the wisest have acted before you, and do not commence your exercises in philosophy in those regions where an error can deliver you over to the executioner.

Georg C. Lichtenberg (1742–1799) German physicist, writer
Aphorisms, Notebook C, #16 [142] (1772-73) [tr. Hollingdale (1960)]
(Source)

Another translation: "Act as the wisest before you have acted, and do not begin your philosophical exercises where an error can deliver you into the hands of the executioner." [tr. Tester (2012)]

WIST Quotations

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionnée], Part 2 “Characters and Anecdotes [Caractères et Anecdotes],” ch. 12 (1795) [tr. Merwin (1969)]

Lichtenberg, Georg C. -- Aphorisms, Notebook C, #16 [142] (1772-73) [tr. Hollingdale (1960)]