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, sec. 4 (1.0.1.4) (1869) [tr. Unknown, Authorized (1871)]

Dave — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 23:38:00 +0000

He did not smile, as we have already said, but he used to laugh; sometimes, indeed frequently, a bitter laugh. There is consent in a smile, while a laugh is often a refusal.

[Il ne souriait pas, nous l’avons dit, mais il riait; parfois, fréquemment même; d’un rire amer. Il y a du consentement dans le sourire, tandis que le rire est souvent un refus.]

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, sec. 4 (1.0.1.4) (1869) [tr. Unknown, Authorized (1871)]

(Source (French)). Other translations:

Ursus did not smile, as we have already said, but he used to laugh, -- sometimes, indeed frequently, a bitter laugh. There is consent in a smile, while a laugh is often a refusal.
[tr. Unknown (1869)]

He did not smile, as we have said, but he laughed; sometimes, frequently even, with a bitter laugh. There is consent in the smile, while the laugh is often a refusal.
[tr. Hapgood (1888)]

He did not smile, as we have said, but he laughed; at times, even frequently, with a bitter laugh. There is satisfaction in a smile, while a laugh is often a refusal.
[tr. Phillips (1894)]

He did not smile, as we have said, but he laughed; sometimes, frequently even, a bitter laugh. There is consent in the smile, while laughter is often a refusal.
[tr. Lavelle (2003)]

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 4, ¶ 275 (1795) [tr. Siniscalchi (1994)]

Dave — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 01:12:12 +0000

People sometimes say about a man who lives alone: “He doesn’t like society.” That’s often like saying that a man doesn’t like to take walks because he doesn’t willingly walk in the forest of Bondy at night.

[On dit quelquefois d’un homme qui vit seul : il n’aime pas la Société. C’est souvent comme si on disait d’un homme qu’il n’aime pas la promenade, sous le prétexte qu’il ne se promène pas volontiers le soir dans la forêt de Bondy.]

Nicolas Chamfort (1741–1794) French writer, epigrammist (b. Nicolas-Sébastien Roch)
Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 4, ¶ 275 (1795) [tr. Siniscalchi (1994)]

(Source (French)). Other translations:

People sometimes say of a man who lives alone: He does not like Society; but this is very often the same as saying that a man does not like walking because he will not willingly walk at evening in the forest of Bondy.
[tr. Mathers (1926)]

Sometimes it is said of a man who lives alone, “He does not like society.” Often it is as though one were to say that a man did not like walking because he would not willingly walk at night in the forest of Bondy.
[tr. Merwin (1969)]

One sometimes says of a man who lives alone: "He dislikes society." It is often as though people said of a man that he did not like walking, alleging that he is loth to walk of an evening in the Forest of Bondy.
[tr. Pearson (1973)]

It is sometimes said of a man who lives alone that he does not like society. This is like saying of a man he does not like going for walks because he is not fond of walking at night in the forêt de Bondy.
[tr. de Botton, Status Anxiety (2004)]

Hare, Julius -- Guesses at Truth: First Series (1827) [with A. W. Hare]

Dave — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 01:35:15 +0000

A man prone to suspect evil is most looking for in his neighbor what he sees in himself.

Julius Hare (1795–1855) English cleric, theologian
Guesses at Truth: First Series (1827) [with A. W. Hare]