Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderotʁo]; 5 October 1713 – 31 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent figure during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the Encyclopédie along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth5 October 1713
acquiring available collects creative geniuses knowledge means nature principal rarely reflection result three
There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge available to us: observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination. Our observation of nature must be diligent, our reflection profound, and our experiments exact. We rarely see these three means combined; and for this reason, creative geniuses are not common.
disorder gaiety genius ordinary quality
Gaiety - a quality of ordinary men. Genius always presupposes some disorder in the machine.
novelty genius forging-ahead
Only God and some few rare geniuses can keep forging ahead into novelty.
evil genius world
Evil always turns up in this world through some genius or other.
freedom might genius
The general interest of the masses might take the place of the insight of genius if it were allowed freedom of action.
men genius madness
Oh! how near are genius and madness! Men imprison them and chain them, or raise statues to them.
men age genius
Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass so that it flows forth.
people lovers sexuality
The best mannered people make the most absurd lovers.
bitter drink drop lie swallow truth women
Women swallow at one mouthful the lie that flatters, and drink drop by drop the truth that is bitter
duty speak
To do his duty somehow, always to speak well of the Prior, and let the world go its own way.
beautiful stupid crazy
The wisest among us is very lucky never to have met the woman, be she beautiful or ugly, intelligent or stupid, who could drive him crazy enough to be fit to be put into an asylum.
running law long
The decisions of law courts should never be printed: in the long run, they form a counter authority to the law.
witty character giving
Il ne faut point donner d'esprit a' ses personnages; mais savoir les placer dans des circonstances qui leur en donnent. You should not give wit to your characters, but know instead how to put them in situations which will make them witty.
truth looks expected
I can be expected to look for truth but not to find it.