Francois Rabelais
Francois Rabelais
François Rabelaiswas a major French Renaissance writer, physician, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He has historically been regarded as a writer of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, bawdy jokes and songs. His best known work is Gargantua and Pantagruel. Because of his literary power and historical importance, Western literary critics considered him one of the great writers of world literature and among the creators of modern European writing. His literary legacy is such that today, the word "Rabelaisian" has been...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionClergyman
CountryFrance
It is said, proverbially, that happy is the doctor who is called in when the disease is on its way out.
A little rain beats down a big wind. Long drinking bouts break open the tun(der).
The age was still dark and reeked of the havoc and misfortunes of the Goths who had put all good literature to destruction. But, by God's goodness, in my time light and dignity were returned to letters, and I see there such improvement that today I would have great difficulty being admitted to the most elementary classes--I, who in my time was reputed to be (and not wrongly) to be the most knowledgeable person of the century.
If you say to me: "Master, it would seem that you weren't too terribly wise to have written these bits of nonsense and pleasant mockeries," I respond that you are hardly more so in finding amusement in reading them.
Do you know what Agelisas said, when he was asked why the great city of Lacedomonie was not girded with walls? Because, pointing out the inhabitants and citizens of the city, so expert in military discipline and so strong and well armed: "Here," he said, "are the walls of the city," meaning that there is no wall but of bones, and that towns and cities can have no more secure nor stronger wall than the virtue of their citizens and inhabitants.
Gargantua, at the age of four hundred four score and forty- four years begat his son Pantagruel, from his wife, named Badebec, daughter of the King of the Amaurotes in Utopia, who died in child-birth: because he was marvelously huge and so heavy that he could not come to light without suffocating his mother.
Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind.
If the head is lost, all that perishes is the individual; if the balls are lost, all of human nature perishes.
I urge you to spend your youth profitably in study and virtue.... In brief, let me see in you an abyss of knowledge.
Ha! for a divine and lordly manor, there is nothing like solid ground.
Early rising is no pleasure; early drinking's just the measure.
It's a shame to be called "educated" those who do not study the ancient Greek writers.
I am going to seek the great Perhaps.
I know of a charm by way of a prayer that will preserve a man from the violence of guns and all manner of fire-weapons and engines but it will do me no good because I do not believe it