Man is certainly mad. He cannot fashion a worm, and he fashions gods by dozens.
[L’homme est bien insensé: Il ne sçauroit forger un ciron, & forge des Dieux à douzaines.]
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 2, ch. 12 (2.12), “Apology for Raymond Sebond [Apologie de Raimond de Sebonde]” (1573) [tr. Zeitlin (1934)]
(Source)
This essay appeared in the 1st (1580) edition, and was expanded for each edition after that. This passage first appeared in the 3rd (1595) edition.
(Source (French)). Alternate translations:Oh sencelesse man, who can not possibly make a worme, and yet will make Gods by dozens.
[tr. Florio (1603)]Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a flea, and yet gods by dozens.
[tr. Cotton (1686)]Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by dozens.
[tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]Man is indeed mad. He could not fashion a worm, and he fashions gods by the dozen.
[tr. Ives (1925)]Man is certainly crazy. He could not make a mite, and he makes gods by the dozens.
[tr. Frame (1943)]Man is quite insane. He wouldn't know how to create a maggot, and he creates gods by the dozen.
[ed. Rat (1958)]Man is indeed out of his mind. He cannot even create a fleshworm, yet creates gods by the dozen.
[tr. Screech (1987)]
Quotations about:
myth-making
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SAINT, n. A dead sinner, revised and edited.
Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) American writer and journalist
“Saint,” The Devil’s Dictionary (1911)
(Source)
Originally published in The Devil's Dictionary [A-Z] as Vol. 7 of his Collected Works.
This seems to have been a revision of:CANONIZE, v.t.. To make a saint out of a dead sinner.
That entry first appeared in the "Devil's Dictionary" column in the San Francisco Wasp (1881-06-11), but was never collected in book form.
