Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition

Joseph Joubert

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I

Name: The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I
Author: Joseph Joubert

Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.

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The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I[On Voltaire.] · Entry 3133

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[On Voltaire.] · Entry 3133

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 6265

) (A midi.) Cela est désolant. Je trouve parfaitement bien exprimé tout ce que je viens de penser, dans un passage d’Aristote cité par Stobée et tiré d’un livre sur la noblesse que nous n’avons plus!

Vid. la traduction des moral. de Plutarq. par Ricard tom. XVII.

Adde. Voici du moins sur ce sujet un point dont Aristote ni personne n’a rien dit : De la vertu, etc. par les mères. Ou : des femmes souche, principe, auteur de race. Quelles qualités elles transmettent, etc. Noblesse de pensée ou noblesse d’actions, etc.

Simples canaux de transmission, n’ajoutant rien, n’altérant rien et ne retenant rien. Seulement, ils laissent couler ce qui passe par eux, sans qu’ils y participent.

Noblesse renouvellée, ou tige sur tige.

Et momens d’excellence.

Par conséquent (et ceci est important) ce n’est pas une chose de convention, mais de nature, qui existe partout, voulue ou non, et qui pour exister n’a besoin d’être voulue ni consentie.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I: [On Voltaire.]

p. 6266

) (At noon.) This is distressing. I find everything I have just thought perfectly well expressed in a passage of Aristotle quoted by Stobaeus and taken from a book on nobility that we no longer have!

Vid. the translation of Plutarch’s moral. by Ricard, vol. XVII.

Adde. Here at least is a point on this subject that neither Aristotle nor anyone has said anything about: Of virtue, etc. through mothers. Or: of women as stock, principle, author of lineage. What qualities they transmit, etc. Nobility of thought or nobility of actions, etc.

Mere channels of transmission, adding nothing, altering nothing, and retaining nothing. They only let what passes through them flow, without taking part in it.

Nobility renewed, or stem upon stem.

And moments of excellence.

Consequently (and this is important), it is not a thing of convention, but of nature, that exists everywhere, willed or not, and that needs neither to be willed nor consented to in order to exist.

T224.The unmatched closing parenthesis before At noon is visible in the facsimile and is retained. The time supplies no calendar date. The report about a lost book is Joubert’s, as is the complaint that Aristotle has already expressed his thought.

T475.A clearly visible closing parenthesis precedes (A midi.) at the damaged left edge; its opening counterpart is not supplied. Clipped line openings, including Stobée and souche, are restored from surviving letters and context. Source moral., Plutarq., tom., Adde., the singular souche after femmes, and renouvellée are retained. The time of day does not supply an entry date.

T225.Vid. means See. Moral. abbreviates the title of Plutarch’s moral works; the English retains the abbreviation rather than treating it as a reference to his personal conduct. The author’s name and tom., volume, are expanded in English while the cited volume XVII remains unchanged.

T226.Adde. means Add. The singular stock, principle, author after plural women is retained. The next paragraph turns to channels through which qualities pass; no named individual is supplied for its plural pronoun. Stem upon stem preserves the renewed botanical image.

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.