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When shall we see poets born? After a time of disasters and great misfortunes, when harrowed nations begin to breathe again. And then, shaken by the terror of such spectacles, imaginations will paint things entirely strange to those who have not witnessed them.

— Denis Diderot On Dramatic Poetry (1758)

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More quotes by Denis Diderot

It is said that desire is a product of the will, but the converse is in fact true: will is a product of desire.

Elements of Physiology (1875)

In order to shake a hypothesis, it is sometimes not necessary to do anything more than push it as far as it will go.

On the Interpretation of Nature (1753)

There is no moral precept that does not have something inconvenient about it.

Dictionary of Foreign Quotations (1980)

Pithy sentences are like sharp nails which force truth upon our memory.

A Dictionary of Thoughts : Being a Cyclopedia of Laconic Quotations (1908)

Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things in order! Putting things in order always means getting other people under your control.

Supplement to Bougainville's Voyage (1796)

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