François Rabelais Quotes

The Devil was sick, — the Devil a monk would be; The Devil was well, — the devil a monk was he.

You shall never want rope enough.

Alluring, courtly, comely, fine, complete, Wise, personable, ravishing, and sweet, Come joys enjoy. The Lord celestial Hath given enough wherewith to please us all.

We all engage in things forbidden and yearn for things denied.

We will take the good-will for the deed.

I have a remedy against thirst, quite contrary to that which is good against the biting of a mad dog. Keep running after a dog, and he will never bite you; drink always before the thirst, and it will never come upon you.

The great reproach always brought against Rabelais is not the want of reserve of his language merely, but his occasional studied coarseness, which is enough to spoil his whole work, and which lowers its value.

Et parce qu'en ce propre jour naquit Pantagruel, son père lui imposa tel nom, car Panta, en grec, vaut autant à dire comme tout, et Gruel en langue agarène , vaut autant comme altéré, voulant inférer qu'à l'heure de sa nativité le monde était tout altéré, et voyant, en esprit de prophétie, qu'il serait quelque jour dominateur des altérés . Ce que lui fut montré à celle heure même par autre signe plus évident, car, alors que sa mère
Badebec l'enfantait, et que les sages-femmes attendaient pour le recevoir, issirent premier de son ventre soixante et huit tregeniers, chacun tirant par le licol un mulet tout chargé
de sel, après lesquels sortirent neuf dromadaires chargés de jambons et langues de boeuf fumées, sept chameaux chargés
d'anguillettes, puis vingt-cinq charretées de poireaux, d'aulx, d'oignons et de cibots, ce qui épouvanta bien lesdites sages femmes.

Tell the truth and shame the devil.

I go to seek a Great Perhaps

It is enough to fright you out of your seven senses.

Natura abhorret vacuum.

Come, pluck up a good heart; speak the truth and shame the devil.

Here enter not attorneys, barristers, Nor bridle-champing law-practitioners: Clerks, commissaries, scribes, nor pharisees, Wilful disturbers of the people's ease: Judges, destroyers, with an unjust breath, Of honest men, like dogs, even unto death. Your salary is at the gibbet-foot: Go drink there! for we do not here fly out On those excessive courses, which may draw A waiting on your courts by suits in law.

What do you say? cried they; do you call it Entelechy or Endelechy? Truly, truly, sweet cousins, quoth Panurge, we are a silly sort of grout-headed lobcocks, an't please you; be so kind as to forgive us if we chance to knock words out of joint. As for anything else, we are downright honest fellows and true hearts.