Crime, like virtue, has its degrees;
And timid innocence was never known
To blossom suddenly into extreme license.

Ainsi que la vertu, le crime a ses dégrés;
Et jamais on n'a vu la timide innocence
Passer subitement à l'extrême licence.

Original text (French)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Hippolyte, act IV, scene II.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Jean Racine (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.