“Tis thus we heed no instincts but our own;
Believe no evil till the evil's done.”

—  Jean De La Fontaine

Nous n'écoutons d'instincts que ceux qui sont les nôtres,
Et ne croyons le mal que quand il est venu.
Book I (1668), fable 8.
Fables (1668–1679)

Original

Nous n'écoutons d'instincts que ceux qui sont les nôtres, Et ne croyons le mal que quand il est venu.

Fables (1668–1679)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Oct. 10, 2022. History

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Jean De La Fontaine photo
Jean De La Fontaine 47
French poet, fabulist and writer. 1621–1695

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