Human beings betray their worst failings when they marvel to find that a world ruler is neither foolishly indolent, presumptuous, nor cruel.
• p. 103
• p. 103
“
Les êtres humains avouent leurs pires faiblesses quand ils s'étonnent qu'un maître du monde ne soit pas sottement indolent, présomptueux, ou cruel.
— Marguerite Yourcenar
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Les êtres humains avouent leurs pires faiblesses quand ils s'étonnent qu'un maître du monde ne soit pas sottement indolent, présomptueux, ou cruel." in the context of "Human beings betray their worst failings when they marvel to find that a world ruler is neither foolishly indolent, presumptuous, nor cruel.
• p. 103" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Marguerite Yourcenar" (Quotes, Memoirs of Hadrian (1951): Mémoires d'Hadrien, English translation by Grace Frick in collaboration with Marguerite Yourcenar (1984), The page numbers below are from the English translation.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Marguerite Yourcenar
Marguerite Cleenewerck de Crayencour (June 8 1903 – December 17 1987) was a Belgian-born French novelist who wrote under the pseudonym Marguerite Yourcenar. She was the first woman to be elected to the Académie française.
About Marguerite Yourcenar
Marguerite Cleenewerck de Crayencour (June 8 1903 – December 17 1987) was a Belgian-born French novelist who wrote under the pseudonym Marguerite Yourcenar. She was the first woman to be elected to the Académie française.
View all quotes →