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Quote for the Day – Voltaire

voltaire“You are right,” said Pangloss, “for when man was first placed in the Garden of Eden, he was put there ut operaretur eum, that he might cultivate it; which shows that man was not born to be idle.” “Let us work,” said Martin, “without disputing; it is the only way to render life tolerable.”  ~~ Candide, Chapter XXX, by Voltaire

 

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Voltaire on Opera

For my friend Vincenzo, an opera lovervoltaire

“This noise,” said the Senator, “may amuse one for half an hour; but if it were to last longer it would grow tiresome to everybody, though they durst not own it. Music, to-day, is only the art of executing difficult things, and that which is only difficult cannot please long. Perhaps I should be fonder of the opera if they had not found the secret of making of it a monster which shocks me. Let who will go to see bad tragedies set to music, where the scenes are contrived for no other end than to introduce two or three songs ridiculously out of place, to show off an actress’s voice. Let who will, or who can, die away with pleasure at the sight of an eunuch quavering the rôle of Cæsar, or of Cato, and strutting awkwardly upon the stage. For my part I have long since renounced those paltry entertainments which constitute the glory of modern Italy, and are purchased so dearly by sovereigns.”  ~~ Senator Pococurante in Candide, Chapter XXV by Voltaire

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Word of the Day – Ignominy

  • Noun: Ignominy
    1. deep personal humiliation and disgrace
    2. disgraceful or dishonorable conduct, quality, or action
  • Synonyms:
    1. Discredit
    2. Disesteem
    3. Dishonor
    4. Disrepute
    5. Infamy
    6. Opprobrium
    7. Shame
  • Usage:
    • “Shame, blind, deep shame and ignominy overthrew his spirit and left it writhing. He stood there shrunk over himself, trying to obliterate himself.”
  • Encountered:
    • The short story The Thorn in the Flesh by D. H. Lawrence

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