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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English Page · Branch 1788 of 3781
[On movement.] · Entry 1788
French
p. 35754 juillet.
Descartes admet six passions primitives (scavoir) l’admiration, la joye, l’amour, le désir, la tristesse et la haine. Il les appelle primitives, à bon droit, car l’âme d’un enfant peut machinalement les éprouver avant qu’il soit né (comme il l’explique fort bien dans sa lettre à Mʳ Chanut sur l’amour; vid. loc. tom Iᵉʳ in 4° pag. 106, lettre 35.) Il a oublié dans ce dénombrement l’impatience, car le désir peut en être suivi aussi bien que de la tristesse : l’impatience étant une agitation qui suit le désir et le besoin, comme la tristesse est une langueur qui provient de la même cause. Le plus ou moins de sensibilité et de vivacité naturelle nous donnant l’un plutôt que l’autre. Ce classement des passions est d’ailleurs excellent et il faut l’adopter.
Nous naissons avec les dispositions que ces 7 passions nous donnent et le plus ou moins de force de l’une ou de l’autre dépend de ce que nous avons éprouvé avant d’entrer dans le monde. En y entrant, nous y portons une constitution et des tempéramens d’humeur qui nous rendent plus ou moins propres à éprouver certains sentimens. C’est l’aptitude et la facilité. Enfin, en vivant, les occasions exercent plus ou moins en nous certaines dispositions, les modifient. Il seroit possible d’assigner quels tempéramens donnent telles ou telles aptitudes et quels exercices donnent telles ou telles modifications à ces facilités. Mais c’est ce que je ne scaurois encore dire.
La vanité vient du tempérament. La dissimulation vient de l’expérience. Mais la vanité est une passion et la dissimulation est un vice, ce qu’il ne faut pas confondre.
On dit de la haine : nourrie de fiel. Que cela est bien dit! L’admiration ravit. Par elle, on est enlevé, suspendu. La joye remplit. Par la tristesse, on est consumé, miné. Agité par l’impatience. Le désir a des pointes. L’amour jouit.
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I: [On movement.]
p. 3576July 4.
Descartes admits six primitive passions (namely) wonder, joy, love, desire, sadness, and hatred. He calls them primitive, rightly, for a child’s soul can experience them mechanically before the child is born (as he explains very well in his letter to Mr. Chanut on love; vid. loc. vol. I, quarto, p. 106, letter 35.) He has forgotten impatience in this enumeration, for desire can be followed by it as well as by sadness: impatience being an agitation that follows desire and need, as sadness is a languor that comes from the same cause. The greater or lesser degree of sensitivity and natural vivacity giving us the one rather than the other. This classification of the passions is otherwise excellent, and we must adopt it.
We are born with the dispositions these 7 passions give us, and the greater or lesser strength of one or another depends on what we have experienced before entering the world. On entering it, we bring a constitution and temperaments of humor that make us more or less apt to experience certain feelings. This is aptitude and facility. Finally, as we live, occasions exercise certain dispositions in us to a greater or lesser degree, modify them. It would be possible to determine which temperaments give this or that aptitude and which exercises give this or that modification to these facilities. But that is what I cannot yet say.
Vanity comes from temperament. Dissimulation comes from experience. But vanity is a passion and dissimulation a vice, which must not be confused.
We say of hatred: nourished on gall. How well said! Wonder ravishes. By it we are lifted, suspended. Joy fills. By sadness we are consumed, undermined. Agitated by impatience. Desire has points. Love enjoys.
Socrates
Reading The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I · [On movement.] · Entry 1788
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.