Let us not overstrain our talents, lest we do nothing gracefully: a clown, whatever he may do, will never pass for a gentleman.

Ne forçons point notre talent;
Nous ne ferions rien avec grâce:
Jamais un lourdaud, quoi qu'il fasse,
Ne saurait passer pour galant.

Original text (French)

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