A quotation from Moliere
CLÉANTE: And just as there is nothing I more revere
Than a soul whose faith is steadfast and sincere,
Nothing that I more cherish and admire
Than honest zeal and true religious fire,
So there is nothing that I find more base
Than specious piety’s dishonest face.
[Et, comme je ne vois nul genre de héros
Qui soient plus à priser que les parfaits dévots,
Aucune chose au monde et plus noble et plus belle
Que la sainte ferveur d’un véritable zèle,
Aussi ne vois-je rien qui soit plus odieux
Que le dehors plâtré d’un zèle spécieux.]
Molière (1622-1673) French playwright, actor [stage name for Jean-Baptiste Poquelin]
Tartuffe, or the Hypocrite [Le Tartuffe, ou L’Imposteur], Act 1, sc. 6 (1669) [tr. Wilbur (1963), 1.5]
Sourcing, notes, other translations: wist.info/moliere/77585/
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #moliere #tartuffe #devotion #disingenuity #facade #faith #fervor #hypocrisy #piety #pretense #zeal