Stumbling over Molière
The other day I was stumbling through reference materials looking for the source of a quote that was synapsing its way through my leetle grey cells, and as usually happens on such journeys, I came upon some new quotes that set me off on another track. The quote for which I was searching was something to the effect of "With the guts of the last lawyer let us strangle the last politician."
I'm pretty sure that isn't quite what I remembered, nor that it is accurate, and I sure couldn't find it. I was trying to remember a with-apologies-to Molière line by a Wall Street columnist, and it probably had to do with economists. Off I went huntin' and found a "with the guts..." quote about lawyers and judges, and another about priests, but neither was associated with the brilliant French écrivant. Not that it isn't out there; it just ain't here.
Molière, by the way, was a 17th century dramatist who died when he was only 51, a year shy of my own age; a circumstance that draws more attention with age. Born Jean Baptiste Poquelin, he is considered one of the finest-ever writers of comedy, and his plays are still frequently performed today.
Molière may be best known for Tartuffe in which he featured a religious hypocrite. King Louis XIV liked the play himself, but for fear of offending the all too powerful clergy, forbad its public performance for five years. One has to respect such a fine mind that could entertain a king in such a fashion, and still keep his head.
A good thing, too, because of what wonderful thoughts were born in it. When I looked up Molière in my Bookshelf software, I came across a bunch of his quotes, and two of them were worth copying into my ever-expanding quotes file. Both are from Le Misanthrope: (1) "It disturbs me no more to find men base, unjust, or selfish than to see apes mischievous, wolves savage, or the vulture ravenous for its prey." And (2) "Of all follies there is none greater than wanting to make the world a better place."
What a delicious dichotomy. He demonstrates little regard for the true nature of man, and at the same time, he takes inestimable pleasure in the place they live. At least, one might draw that inference for a lightly-educated first glance. The first line reminds me of the Chinese depiction called The Vinegar Tasters. Lao-Tze has sipped vinegar and is smiling because that's what vinegar tastes like. The second line calls to mind the scorn of George Carlin, several millennia later, for environmentalists and their lack of humility; the Earth will go on without their help, inevitably if not immediately.
Another time, I'll take up the reference to the guts of lawyers.
And that's SetonnoteS...I'm Tony Seton.
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