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I hasten to laugh at everything, for fear of being obliged to weep.

— Pierre Beaumarchais Le Barbier de Séville (1773)

Je me presse de rire de tout, de peur d'être obligé d'en pleurer.

Original text (French)

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Notes from Wikiquote

I quickly laugh at everything, for fear of having to cry. | Bartlett's, 13th ed. (1955) p. 367 | I force myself to laugh at everything, for fear of having to weep. | Kronenberger (1946) p. xi

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More quotes by Pierre Beaumarchais

Without freedom to blame, no praise is flattering, and none but little men are afraid of little writings.

The Marriage of Figaro (1778)

To drink without thirst, to make love without cessation: this is what distinguishes us from the lower animals.

The Marriage of Figaro (1778)

Calumniate, calumniate; there will always be something which sticks.

Le Barbier de Séville (1773)

It is not necessary to retain facts that we may reason concerning them.

Le Barbier de Séville (1773)

Be commonplace and creeping, and you attain all things.

Le Barbier de Séville (1773)

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Attribution

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