WIST Quotations

Hugo, Victor -- The Man Who Laughs [L’Homme qui rit; The Laughing Man; By Order of the King], Part 1, Book 0, ch. 1 (1.0.1) (1869) [tr. Unknown. (1869)]

Dave — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:09:28 +0000

It was said of him that he had once been for a short time in Bedlam; they had done him the honour to take him for a madman, but had set him free on discovering that he was only a poet.

[On contait de lui qu’il avait été jadis un peu enfermé à Bedlam ; on lui avait fait l’honneur de le prendre pour un insensé, mais on l’avait relâché, s’apercevant qu’il n’était qu’un poëte.]

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, Book 0, ch. 1 (1.0.1) (1869) [tr. Unknown. (1869)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

It was said of him that he had once been for a short time in Bedlam; they had done him the honour to take him for a madman, but had set him free on discovering that he was only a poet.
[tr. Unknown, Authorized (1871)]

It was related of him that he had, in former days, been shut up for a while in Bedlam; they had done him the honor to take him for a madman, but had released him on perceiving that he was only a poet.
[tr. Hapgood (1888)]

The saying went that he had at one time been shut up for a while in Bedlam; they had done him the honor to take him for a madman, but they had released him when they perceived that he was nothing but a poet.
[tr. Phillips (1894)]

It was said of him that he had once been locked up for a while in Bedlam; he had been taken for a fool, but had been released when they realized that he was only a poet.
[tr. Lavelle (2003)]

Montesquieu -- Pensées Diverses [Assorted Thoughts], # 1004 / 1013 (1720-1755)

Dave — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 20:22:06 +0000

I have always observed that to succeed in the world one should appear like a fool but be wise.

[J’ai toujours vu que, pour réussir parfaitement bien dans le monde, il alloit avoir l’air fou et être sage.]

Charles-Lewis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) French political philosopher
Pensées Diverses [Assorted Thoughts], # 1004 / 1013 (1720-1755)

This a common English translation since at least 1896 (original source unknown).

(Source (French)). Other translations:

To succeed perfectly well in the world, I have always seen that you have to appear mad while being wise.
[tr. Clark (2012)]

Sondheim, Stephen -- Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979) [with Hugh Wheeler]

Dave — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 18:13:49 +0000

His voice was soft,
His manner mild.
He seldom laughed,
But he often smiled.
He’d seen how civilized men behave.
He never forgot and he never forgave,
Not Sweeney,
Not Sweeney Todd,
The demon barber of Fleet Street.

Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) American composer and lyricist
Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979) [with Hugh Wheeler]