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

Joseph Joubert

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II

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

Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.

Explore the Lexicon

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1814 · Entry 7197

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Facing Pages · Branch 3416 of 4529

YEAR 1814 · Entry 7197

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 6831

26 décembre.

Il faut qu’il y ait dans toute loi quelque chose qui soit liant ou obligatoire par soi. Tout ce qui n’a pas cette qualité n’est qu’un décret, une ordonnance. — Toute loi donc, si elle est bien loi, a quelque chose de divin, c’est à dire de dérivé de la justice dont Dieu est la première source.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1814

p. 6832

December 26.

There must be in every law something binding or obligatory in itself. Anything without this quality is only a decree, an ordinance. — Every law, then, if it is truly law, has something divine, that is, something derived from the justice of which God is the first source.

T110.The universal requirement, binding/obligatory alternatives, restrictive only and decree/ordinance distinction remain. The conditional truly law and explanatory derived-from relation keep their scope. The single paragraph crosses 807–808 without a new date or paragraph; this is Joubert’s account, not guidance on current law. The qualified complete 26 December belongs to this crossing paragraph; no additional date is supplied on 808.

T227.The date 26 is retained as a qualified complete reading, with recognizable first 2 beside the clear 6. This single paragraph continues through 808’s first two lines before the star; no new date or paragraph is added at the page turn. The obligation/connection alternative, par soi, negative and restrictive clauses, decree/ordinance pairing, internal dash, donc and si/bien qualification remain. The final printed c’est à dire stays spaced, and the derivation/first-source explanation is not amplified into a further doctrinal claim. The 807 obligatoire/décret starts and 808 continuation are readable at a qualified level in the color originals. No lexical loss is created by the page boundary. Independent bounded color/native comparison agrees with the three qualified dates, plain-i/circumflex/acute distinctions and single title emphasis; the stated contour limitations remain.

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.