WIST Quotations https://wist.info Wish I'd Said That! Sun, 14 Jun 2026 21:11:53 +0000 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://wist.info/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/little-w-little-box-60x60.jpg monsters – WIST Quotations https://wist.info 32 32 43606282 ~Proverbs and Sayings -- French proverb https://wist.info/proverbs/79385/ https://wist.info/proverbs/79385/#respond Mon, 29 Sep 2025 23:01:06 +0000 Dave https://wist.info/?p=79385 Adversity makes men; prosperity makes monsters.

[L’adversité fait l’homme, et le bonheur les monstres.]


Proverbs, Sayings, and Adages
French proverb

Variants:
  • "Adversity makes men, but prosperity makes monsters."
  • "Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters."
  • "Prosperity makes monsters, but adversity makes men."
Often attributed to Victor Hugo, including from sources going back to the 19th Century (Ballou (1899)). I have not been able to find an actual citation or primary source.

It is also widely noted as an anonymous or proverbial saying (e.g., 1809, 1818).

It may well be a French proverb that was incorrectly attributed to Hugo (who wrote quite a bit on the subjects of adversity and prosperity) in order to have a name to hang off of it.

 ]]> https://wist.info/proverbs/79385/feed/ 0 79385 ~Proverbs and Sayings -- French proverb https://wist.info/proverbs/1989/ https://wist.info/proverbs/1989/#respond Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000 Dave http://wist.info/wp/?p=1989 Adversity makes men; prosperity makes monsters.

[L’adversité fait l’homme, et le bonheur les monstres.]


Proverbs, Sayings, and Adages
French proverb

Variants:
  • "Adversity makes men, but prosperity makes monsters."
  • "Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters."
  • "Prosperity makes monsters, but adversity makes men."
Often attributed to Victor Hugo, including from sources going back to the 19th Century (Ballou (1899)). I have not been able to find an actual citation or primary source.

It is also widely noted as an anonymous or proverbial saying (e.g., 1809, 1818).

It may well be a French proverb that was incorrectly attributed to Hugo (who wrote quite a bit on the subjects of adversity and prosperity) in order to have a name to hang off of it.

 ]]> https://wist.info/proverbs/1989/feed/ 0 1989