WIST Quotations

Hugo, Victor -- The Man Who Laughs [L’Homme qui rit; The Laughing Man; By Order of the King], Part 1, Preliminary, ch. 1 (1.0.1) (1869) [tr. Unknown, Authorized (1871)]

Dave — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 20:10:16 +0000

Of a disposition at once unsociable and talkative, desiring to see no one, yet wishing to converse with some one, he solved the difficulty by talking to himself.

[D’une complexion farouche et bavarde, ayant le désir de ne voir personne et le besoin de parler à quelqu’un, il se tirait d’affaire en se parlant à lui-même.]

Victor Hugo (1802–1885) French writer, journalist, human rights activist, politician
The Man Who Laughs [L’Homme qui rit; The Laughing Man; By Order of the King], Part 1, Preliminary, ch. 1 (1.0.1) (1869) [tr. Unknown, Authorized (1871)]

(Source (French)). Other translations:

Of a disposition at once unsociable and talkative, desiring to see no one, yet longing to converse with some one, he solved the difficulty by talking to himself.
[tr. Unknown (1869)]

Of a shy and loquacious disposition, desiring to see no one, yet feeling the need of talking to some one, he extricated himself from the dilemma by talking to himself.
[tr. Hapgood (1888)]

Of an unsociable and talkative disposition, not wanting to see any one, and yet wanting to talk to some one, he got out of the difficulty by talking to himself.
[tr. Phillips (1894)]

Of a fierce and talkative disposition, with a desire to see no one and a need to talk to someone, he got by by talking to himself.
[tr. Lavelle (2003)]

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Loquacity,” The Devil’s Dictionary (1911)

Dave — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 18:59:11 +0000

LOQUACITY, n. A disorder which renders the sufferer unable to curb his tongue when you wish to talk.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Loquacity,” The Devil’s Dictionary (1911)

Originally published in the "Cynic's Dictionary" column in the San Francisco Examiner (1888-04-29).

Gracián, Baltasar -- The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 222 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]

Dave — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 16:27:40 +0000

The tongue is a wild beast; once let loose it is difficult to chain.

[Es fiera la lengua, que si una vez se suelta, es muy dificultosa de poderse volver a encadenar.]

Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601–1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 222 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]

(Source (Spanish)). Other translations:

The Tongue is a wild Beast, very hard to be chained again, when once it is let loose. [Flesher ed. (1685)]

The tongue is a beast, which once at large, is hard to recapture and to chain.
[tr. Fischer (1937)]

The tongue is a wild animal, and once it breaks loose, it is hard to return to its cage.
[tr. Maurer (1992)]