WIST Quotations

Montaigne, Michel de -- Essays, Book 3, ch. 5 (3.5), “Of Some Verses of Virgil [Sur des vers de Virgile]” (1586) [tr. Ives (1925)]

Dave — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:18:33 +0000

A good marriage, if there are such, rejects the company and conditions of love; it strives to show forth those of friendship. It is a calm fellowship of life, full of fidelity, of trust, and of an endless number of useful and substantial mutual duties and obligations.

[Un bon mariage, s’il en est, refuse la compagnie & conditions de l’amour : il tasche à representer celles de l’amitié. C’est une douce societé de vie, pleine de constance, de fiance, & d’un nombre infiny d’utiles & solides offices, & obligations mutuelles.]

Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 3, ch. 5 (3.5), “Of Some Verses of Virgil [Sur des vers de Virgile]” (1586) [tr. Ives (1925)]
(Source)

This essay (and passage) first appeared in the 2nd (1588) edition.

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

A good marriage (if any there be) refuseth the company and conditions of love; it endevoureth to present those of amity. It is a sweete society of life, full of constancie, of trust, and an infinite number of profitable and solid offices, and mutuall obligations.
[tr. Florio (1603)]

A good Marriage, if it be really so, rejects the Company and Conditions of Love and tries to represent those of Friendship. 'Tis a sweet Society of Life, full of Constancy, Trust, and an infinite Number of useful and solid Offices and mutual Obligations.
[tr. Cotton (1686)]

A good marriage, if there be any such, rejects the company and conditions of love, and tries to represent those of friendship. ’Tis a sweet society of life, full of constancy, trust, and an infinite number of useful and solid services and mutual obligations.
[tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

A good marriage, if there is such a thing, rejects the company and conditions of love. It tries to imitate those of friendship. It is a sweet bond of life, full of constancy, of trust, and of an infinite nuimber of useful and substantial services and mutual obligations.
[tr. Zeitlin (1934)]

A good marriage, if such there be, rejects the company and conditions of love. It tries to reproduce those of friendship. It is a sweet association in life, full of constancy, trust, and an infinite number of useful and solid services and mutual obligations.
[tr. Frame (1943)]

A good marriage (if there be such a thing) rejects the company and conditions of Cupid: it strives to reproduce those of loving-friendship. It is a pleasant fellowship for life, full of constancy, trust and an infinity of solid useful services and mutual duties.
[tr. Screech (1987)]

Orwell, George -- Essay (1941-09), “The Art of Donald McGill,” Horizon Magazine

Dave — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 11:46:58 +0000

Society has always to demand a little more from human beings than it will get in practice. It has to demand faultless discipline and self-sacrifice, it must expect its subjects to work hard, pay their taxes, and be faithful to their wives, it must assume that men think it glorious to die on the battlefield and women want to wear themselves out with child-bearing. The whole of what one may call official literature is founded on such assumptions.

George Orwell (1903-1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1941-09), “The Art of Donald McGill,” Horizon Magazine
(Source)

Nash, Ogden -- “I Have It On Good Authority,” New York American (3 Sep 1935)

Dave — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 18:42:48 +0000

Another good thing about gossip is that it is within everybody’s reach,

And it is much more interesting than any other form of speech,

Because suppose you eschew gossip and just say

Mr. Smith is in love with his wife.

Why that disposes the Smiths as a topic of conversation for the rest of their life,

But suppose you say with a smile, that poor little Mrs. Smith thinks her husband is in love with her, he must be very clever,

Why then you can enjoyably talk about the Smiths forever.

Ogden Nash (1902-1971) American poet
“I Have It On Good Authority,” New York American (3 Sep 1935)
(Source)

Ennius -- Fragment 402-3 [tr. Miller]

Dave — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 22:07:42 +0000

There is no fellowship inviolate,
no faith is kept, when kingship is concerned.

[Nulla sancta societas
Nec fides regni est.]

Ennius (239-169 BC) Roman poet, writer [Quintus Ennius]
Fragment 402-3 [tr. Miller]
(Source)

Quoted in Cicero, De Officiis, Book 1, ch. 8, sec. 26 (scaen. 404 Vahlen), speaking of Julius Caesar.

Alt. trans.:

"To kingship belongs neither sacred fellowship nor faith."
"No society is sacred, nor faith of empire." [tr. Johnson (1828)]
"There is no holy bond, and no fidelity / 'Twixt those who share a throne." [Source]
"Where the throne's shared, there cannot be good faith." [Source]