“ A man who may be stupid at times, but is watchful and prudent always, may often enjoy the pleasure of outwitting men of imagination. ”
Stendhal, The Charterhouse of Parma (1839). copy citation
| Author | Stendhal |
|---|---|
| Source | The Charterhouse of Parma |
| Topic | imagination pleasure |
| Date | 1839 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Mary Loyd |
| Weblink | https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57638/57638-h/57638-h.htm |
Context
““You talk like an academician!” cried the count laughingly. “You have told the story of a splendid prank. But it is not once in ten years that the delightful opportunity for doing such startling things presents itself. A man who may be stupid at times, but is watchful and prudent always, may often enjoy the pleasure of outwitting men of imagination. It was a freak of the imagination that led Napoleon to put himself into the hands of the prudent John Bull, instead of trying to escape to America. John Bull sat in his counting-house, and laughed at the Emperor’s letter and his reference to Themistocles.”
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