Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II
Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.
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French Page · Branch 3065 of 4529
According to Plato · Entry 6846
French
p. 6129Il faut bien que le prince, chez un tel peuple, puisse être libéral, généreux, magnifique; sans cela, la nation entière seroit avare. Mais en Hollande, par exemple, chez un peuple économe par humeur, par habitude, par principe et par besoin, il faut que le prince se contente de vivre en noble et riche citoyen, — car il est nécessaire que les particuliers puissent imiter le prince sans que les mœurs de la nation en soient altérées.
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: According to Plato
p. 6130The prince among such a people must indeed be able to be liberal, generous, magnificent; without that, the whole nation would be miserly. But in Holland, for example, among a people economical by disposition, by habit, by principle and by necessity, the prince must content himself with living as a noble and wealthy citizen—for private individuals must be able to imitate the prince without the nation’s customs being altered.
Socrates
Reading The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II · According to Plato · Entry 6846
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 II continues the notebooks and includes seventy undated pieces. 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.