Thursday, December 09, 2004

 

The Child Is Father to the Man

Jean de la Bruyère (1645-1696), Caractères XI, 50:
Children are arrogant, scornful, prone to anger, jealous, nosy, selfish, lazy, fickle, timid, intemperate, they say what is false and hide what is true; they laugh and cry at the drop of a hat; they have excessive joys and bitter sorrows arising from very insignificant causes; they are totally unwilling to undergo pain, and enjoy inflicting it on others: they are already adults.

Les enfants sont hautains, dédaigneux, colères, envieux, curieux, intéressés, paresseux, volages, timides, intempérants, menteurs, dissimulés; ils rient et pleurent facilement; ils ont des joies immodérées et des afflictions amères sur de très petits sujets; ils ne veulent point souffrir de mal, et aiment à en faire: ils sont déjà des hommes.



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