If it is usual to be strongly impressed with things rare and extraordinary, how comes it then that Virtue is taken so little notice of?
[S’il est ordinaire d’être vivement touché des choses rares, pourquoi le sommes-nous si peu de la vertu?]
Jean de La Bruyère (1645-1696) French essayist, moralist
The Characters [Les Caractères], ch. 2 “Of Personal Merit [Du Mérite Personnel],” § 20 (2.20) (1688) [Browne ed. (1752)]
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(Source (French)). Alternate translations:If 'tis common to be Toucht with things Rare, how comes it that we are so little toucht with Virtue?
[Bullord ed. (1696)]If 'tis common to be touch'd with things rare, how comes it we are so little touch'd with Virtue?
[Curll ed. (1713)]If it be usual to be strongly impressed by things that are scarce, why are we so little impressed by virtue?
[tr. Van Laun (1885)]If it is usual to be strongly attracted by things that are rare, why has virtue so little attraction for us?
[tr. Stewart (1970)]
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If there hadn’t been women we’d still be squatting in a cave eating raw meat, because we made civilization in order to impress our girlfriends.
Orson Welles (1915-1985) American writer, director, actor
Interview with David Frost, David Frost Show (12 May 1970)
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