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.

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The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1815 · Entry 7238

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French Page · Branch 3457 of 4529

YEAR 1815 · Entry 7238

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 6913

Que les bonnes actions des infidèles soient des péchés (comme le dit expressément Saint Augustin), on peut le croire; mais on ne peut pas le penser, à moins que ce mot péché ne soit pris dans le sens d’action défectueuse, d’action où manque quelque chose, la perfection.

Ne disons plus les jansénistes, disons les Augustinistes.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1815

p. 6914

That the good actions of unbelievers are sins (as St. Augustine expressly says), one can believe it, but one cannot think it, unless the word sin is taken in the sense of a defective action, an action in which something is missing, perfection.

Let us no longer say the Jansenists; let us say the Augustinists.

T23.The believing/thinking distinction and can/cannot remain. Unless scopes the proposed sense of sin, with no added denial. Both action formulations and the final perfection explanation remain. Only the singular sin corresponding to the later péché on 814 is italic, while the earlier plural sins is roman; the attribution is translated as Joubert gives it and has not been independently verified. The page turn does not create a new paragraph.

T424.Two paragraphs remain in one unit. The first crosses 813–814 between peut and pas without a new paragraph or missing word; the second begins on 814 before the printed separator. The attribution remains in the first paragraph, with expressément, the believe/think distinction and the exception clause preserved. Only the later singular péché on 814 is italic; the earlier plural péchés is roman. The repeated action formulations and final appositional la perfection remain. The second paragraph prints Augustinistes, distinct from Augustiniens above, and retains negative ne...plus followed by the repeated imperative. Original-size color 814 confirms the continuation and italic extent; the soft accent contours remain qualified.

T24.The no-longer/let-us-say self-correction remains. Augustinists corresponds to the distinct printed Augustinistes, rather than silently replacing it with the Augustinians used for Augustiniens earlier on 813. The English semicolon separates the two exhortations; it does not imply a source semicolon.

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.