Whoever is capable of lying, is unworthy of being reckoned in the number of men; and whoever knows not to be silent, is unworthy of ruling.
• Bk. 3, p. 14; translation pp. 34-5.
• Bk. 3, p. 14; translation pp. 34-5.
“
Quiconque est capable de mentir est indigne d'être compté au nombre des hommes; et quiconque ne sait pas se taire est indigne de gouverner.
— François Fénelon
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Quiconque est capable de mentir est indigne d'être compté au nombre des hommes; et quiconque ne sait pas se taire est indigne de gouverner." in the context of "Whoever is capable of lying, is unworthy of being reckoned in the number of men; and whoever knows not to be silent, is unworthy of ruling.
• Bk. 3, p. 14; translation pp. 34-5." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "François Fénelon" (Quotes, Les aventures de Télémaque (1699): Quotations in French are cited from Œuvres de Fénelon (Paris: Lefèvre, 1835) vol. 3; quotations in English from an anonymous translation, The Adventures of Telemachus, the son of Ulysses (Philadelphia: Mathew Cary, 1806).)
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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