Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I
Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.
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Facing Pages · Branch 1234 of 3781
YEAR 1799 · Entry 1234
French
p. 246712 février.
Le grand chemin de la vie humaine, qui est : de naître, et tandis qu’on croît, de vivre soumis à la volonté de ses parens; de se marier et de fonder, de gouverner et d’approvisionner pour le présent et l’avenir sa maison, sa famille et sa société; de mourir en espérant une meilleure vie.
Il faut approvisionner sa maison des choses nécessaires, sa famille de bons préceptes et de bons exemples, ses amis de bons souvenirs.
On fonde une maison, une famille et sa société en inculquant dans tout ce qui nous touche des principes solides de probité et de prospérité. On gouverne en assujettissant assidûment à la règle qu’on suit soi-même tous ceux qui dépendent de nous. On approvisionne etc.
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I: YEAR 1799
p. 2468February 12.
The high road of human life, which is: to be born and, while growing up, to live subject to one’s parents’ will; to marry and to found, govern, and provision one’s household, family, and circle for the present and the future; to die hoping for a better life.
One must provision one’s household with necessities, one’s family with good precepts and good examples, one’s friends with good memories.
One founds a household, a family, and one’s circle by instilling sound principles of probity and prosperity in everyone connected with us. One governs by assiduously subjecting all who depend on us to the rule one follows oneself. One provisions, etc.
Socrates
Reading The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I · YEAR 1799 · Entry 1234
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Joubert’s notebooks return to the work of thinking and writing, the demands of friendship, and questions of faith, beauty and conduct. This edition pairs the French with a new English translation, preserving the order of the chosen source and the unfinished character of its fragments. Dates and source references allow readers to follow a thought through time or return to its printed context.
Historical Text and Translation
The French text follows André Beaunier’s 1938 edition of Les Carnets de Joseph Joubert, published by Gallimard from Joubert’s autograph manuscripts. Volume I presents the entries on printed pages 32–475. French and English are aligned paragraph by paragraph, retaining the source order, printed dates and page references so readers can return to the facsimile.
About Diotimos Editions
Diotimos Editions prepared this new English translation directly from the French, preserving Joubert’s distinctions, recurring images, ambiguities and unfinished thoughts. Translator’s notes clarify wording, references and uncertain readings: Essential keeps notes that help explain a passage, while All includes technical detail. Annotations from the 1938 source edition remain distinct from the new translator’s notes.
Rights
The linked facsimile records identify the French source as public domain in the United States. The new English translation and editorial notes are © 2026 Diotimos, with source annotations and new editorial contributions credited separately. This edition pairs the complete French notebooks with an independent English translation, preserving the distinction between Joubert’s text and its accompanying notes.