“Man, whence is he? / Too bad to be the work of a god, too good for the work of chance.”

— Doris Lessing

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, as quoted in Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern English and Foreign Sources (1899) by James Wood, p. 61; usually attributed to Doris Lessing in the form: "Man — who is he? Too bad, to be the work of God: Too good for the work of chance!"
Misattributed

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Doris Lessing 94

British novelist, poet, playwright, librettist, biographer … 1919–2013

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“Man, whence is he?
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Der Mensch, wo ist er her?
Zu schlecht für einen Gott, zu gut fürs Ungefähr.
As quoted in Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern English and Foreign Sources (1899) by James Wood, p. 61
Variant: Man — who is he? Too bad to be the work of God; Too good for the work of chance!

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“Man, whence is he? / Too bad to be the work of a god, too good for the work of chance.”

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Doris Lessing 94

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