“Do not fear being ridiculous in relation to the ridiculous.”

Diary of an Unknown (1988)

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Jean Cocteau123

French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager … 1889–1963

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“The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related, that it is difficult to class them separately.”

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Source: 1790s, The Age of Reason, Part II (1795), Chapter I: The Old Testament; this may be the origin of Napoleon's celebrated mot, Du sublime au ridicule il n'y a qu'un pas (From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step).
Context: The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related, that it is difficult to class them separately. One step above the sublime makes the ridiculous, and one step above the ridiculous makes the sublime again.