“Mischievous wags are a kind of insects which are in everybody's way and plentiful in all countries. Real wit is rarely to be met with, and even if it be innate in a man, it must be very difficult to maintain reputation for it during any length of time; for, commonly, he that makes us laugh does not stand high in our estimation.”

— Jean de La Bruyère, book Les Caractères

3
Les Caractères (1688), De la société et de la conversation

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Jean de La Bruyère65

17th-century French writer and philosopher 1645–1696

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Jean de La Bruyère65

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