The good historian is not for any time or any country: while he loves his fatherland, he never flatters it in anything.
• Lettre sur les Occupations de l'Académie Française, sect. 8, cited from Œuvres de Fénelon (Paris: Lefèvre, 1835) vol. 3, p. 240; translation by Patrick Riley, from Hans Blom et al. (eds.) Monarchisms in the Age of Enlightenment (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007) p. 86.
• Lettre sur les Occupations de l'Académie Française, sect. 8, cited from Œuvres de Fénelon (Paris: Lefèvre, 1835) vol. 3, p. 240; translation by Patrick Riley, from Hans Blom et al. (eds.) Monarchisms in the Age of Enlightenment (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007) p. 86.
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Le bon historien n'est d'aucun temps ni d'aucun pays: quoiqu'il aime sa patrie, il ne la flatte jamais en rien.
— François Fénelon
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Le bon historien n'est d'aucun temps ni d'aucun pays: quoiqu'il aime sa patrie, il ne la flatte jamais en rien." in the context of "The good historian is not for any time or any country: while he loves his fatherland, he never flatters it in anything.
• Lettre sur les Occupations de l'Académie Française, sect. 8, cited from Œuvres de Fénelon (Paris: Lefèvre, 1835) vol. 3, p. 240; translation by Patrick Riley, from Hans Blom et al. (eds.) Monarchisms in the Age of Enlightenment (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007) p. 86." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "François Fénelon" (Quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About François Fénelon
François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, Archbishop of Cambrai (August 6 1651 – January 7 1715) was a French educationalist, critic, poet, and political and religious philosopher.
About François Fénelon
François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, Archbishop of Cambrai (August 6 1651 – January 7 1715) was a French educationalist, critic, poet, and political and religious philosopher.
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