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Human beings betray their worst failings when they marvel to find that a world ruler is neither foolishly indolent, presumptuous, nor cruel.

— Marguerite Yourcenar Memoirs of Hadrian (1951)

Les êtres humains avouent leurs pires faiblesses quand ils s'étonnent qu'un maître du monde ne soit pas sottement indolent, présomptueux, ou cruel.

Original text (French)

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More quotes by Marguerite Yourcenar

The world is big … May it please the One who perchance is to expand the human heart to life’s full measure.

The Abyss (1968)

A touch of madness is, I think, almost always necessary for constructing a destiny.

Few bipeds, from Adam's time down, have been worthy of the name of man.

The Abyss (1968)

The written word has taught me to listen to the human voice, much as the great unchanging statues have taught me to appreciate bodily motions.

Memoirs of Hadrian (1951)

Nothing is slower than the true birth of a man.

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Attribution

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