From the book
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volumes I–II
Joseph Joubert · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Devotion
dévotion; dévouement
Dévotion is an inward and practical dedication to religion.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordDévotion is an inward and practical dedication to religion.
- In JoubertThose whose love depends on admiration are described as born for devotion because only God can fill their heart.
- In this editionThe English translation keeps devotion and devotedness visibly related and preserves the parenthesis “in one’s conduct.” The final Pourquoi is rendered “Why” and remains an unfinished explanatory opening with a period, not a newly completed question or argument.
- A place to beginA heart moved through admiration is directed toward God.
- English renderings
- devotion; devotedness
Meaning
Dévotion is an inward and practical dedication to religion. Joubert defends the word while criticizing forms that become self-indulgence or pride.
Use in the book
Those whose love depends on admiration are described as born for devotion because only God can fill their heart. The fragment about people for whom devotion is merely one pleasure more interrupts any automatic equation of devotional feeling with goodness. The explicit gloss through dévouement specifies conduct, and the warning about absent humility explains how devotion can become pride. Dedication, pleasure and self-regard must therefore remain distinguishable.
Places to read
- I, p. 166–167, entry 6, ¶2A heart moved through admiration is directed toward God.
- I, p. 400, entry 7, ¶1Devotion can become another private pleasure.
- I, p. 421, entry 9, ¶1Joubert defends devotion through a conduct-based gloss.
- II, p. 787, entry 5, ¶1Without humility it can become pride.
Translation in this edition
The English translation keeps devotion and devotedness visibly related and preserves the parenthesis “in one’s conduct.” The final Pourquoi is rendered “Why” and remains an unfinished explanatory opening with a period, not a newly completed question or argument.
Source note
Beaunier 1938, I, pp. 166, 167, 400, 421; II, pp. 787.
From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Devotion
devotion; devout attachment; religious attentiveness
Devotion names a dedicated religious disposition and its expression in worship.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordDevotion names a dedicated religious disposition and its expression in worship.
- In TraherneIts setting joins private adoration, congregational praise, sociability, and retirement.
- In this editionThis is a rare noun in the primary text, despite the book’s devotional character.
- A place to beginDevotion appears in the list of virtues connecting worship, retirement, and gracious company.
Meaning
Devotion names a dedicated religious disposition and its expression in worship. Here the noun occurs among virtues through which a person becomes fit for spiritual friendship.
Use in the book
Its setting joins private adoration, congregational praise, sociability, and retirement. A devout person is not imagined as permanently withdrawn: solitude should make a return to others wiser and more precious. Devotion belongs with cheerfulness, gratitude, modesty, and charity, helping a soul become an enjoyment for its neighbours. The surrounding meditation makes love of Christ the direction of this whole life.
Places to read
- I.80Devotion appears in the list of virtues connecting worship, retirement, and gracious company.
In this edition
This is a rare noun in the primary text, despite the book’s devotional character. Do not make its single occurrence carry a formal distinction between “devotion” and theology that Traherne does not state.
Source note
Primary text: I.80.