Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II
Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.
Explore the LexiconSwipe or use the arrow keys.
English Page · Branch 2746 of 4529
YEAR 1813 · Entry 6527
French
p. 5491Il y a une grande différence entre la crédulité et la foi. L’une est […]n défaut de l’esprit, l’autre en est une qualité, une vertu. La pre[…]ière vient de notre extrême faiblese, la seconde a pour principe une […]ouce et louable docilité, très compatible avec la force et qui lui est […]ême très favorable.
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1813
p. 5492There is a great difference between credulity and faith. The one is [a] defect of the mind, the other a quality of it, a virtue. The [first] comes from our extreme weakness, the second has as its principle a [gentle] and praiseworthy teachableness, quite compatible with strength and [even] very favorable to it.
Socrates
Reading The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II · YEAR 1813 · Entry 6527
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.