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 1817 · Entry 7781

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Facing Pages · Branch 4000 of 4529

YEAR 1817 · Entry 7781

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 7999

En religion, tout ce qui nourrit en nous notre amour pour Dieu et en Dieu son grand amour pour nous. En morale ou en civilité, tout ce qui nourrit dans les autres leur amour pour nous et en nous notre amour pour les autres. En un mot, aimer Dieu et se faire aimer de lui, aimer nos semblables et se faire aimer d’eux. Voilà la morale et la religion. Dans l’une et dans l’autre, l’amour est tout, fin, principe et moyen.

Aimer et se rendre agréable.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1817

p. 8000

In religion, everything that nourishes in us our love for God and in God his great love for us. In morality or in civility, everything that nourishes in others their love for us and in us our love for others. In a word, to love God and make oneself loved by him, to love our fellow beings and make oneself loved by them. That is morality and religion. In both, love is everything: end, principle and means.

To love and make oneself agreeable.

T85.The opening nominal formulations and reciprocal nourishment remain, including the unusual nourishment of God’s love. Civility is distinguished from morality. The repeated infinitives and three final functions remain; English uses a colon to introduce the source’s final comma-separated list.

T200.Two physical paragraphs remain in one undated unit. The two initial nominal relative constructions, all reciprocating possessives/prepositions, both reflexive causatives, paired domains and final three nouns remain. The final infinitives form their own paragraph. The source collation records the 865 partial first day, qualified complete 20 and later dates, opaque code, lost opening before ête, qualified complete other left starts, plaît upper mark and both Latin italic extents, with the individual reading qualifications retained.

T86.The two infinitives remain a separate paragraph within the same entry, without an added object or sentence.

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.