“ Hatred, as well as love, renders its votaries credulous. ”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Confessions (1782). copy citation
| Author | Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
|---|---|
| Source | Confessions |
| Topic | love hate credulity |
| Date | 1782 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Samuel William Orson |
| Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Confessions_(Rousseau) |
Context
“"O, for that matter," replied the person she was speaking to (who was fond of a joke), "she has good reason, for I know she is marked with a great ugly rat on her bosom, so naturally, that it even appears to be running." Hatred, as well as love, renders its votaries credulous. Madam de Menthon resolved to make use of this discovery, and one day, while Madam de Warrens was at cards with this lady's ungrateful favorite, she contrived, in passing behind her rival, almost to overset the chair she sat on, and at the same instant, very dexterously displaced her handkerchief; but instead of this hideous rat, the gentleman beheld a far different object, which it was not more easy to forget than to obtain a sight of, and which by no means answered the intentions of the lady.”
source
Meaning and analysis
