A quotation from Havel, Vaclav

Those who have not lost the ability to recognize that which is laughable in themselves, or their own nothingness, are not arrogant, nor are they enemies of an Open Society. Its enemy is a person with a fiercely serious countenance and burning eyes.

Václav Havel (1936-2011) Czech playwright, essayist, dissident, politician
Speech, accepting the “Open Society” Prize, Central European University (24 Jun 1999)

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Sourcing / notes: https://wist.info/havel-vaclav/7177/

Speech, accepting the “Open Society” Prize, Central European University (24 Jun 1999) - Havel, Vaclav | WIST Quotations

Those who have not lost the ability to recognize that which is laughable in themselves, or their own nothingness, are not arrogant, nor are they enemies of an Open Society. Its enemy is a person with a fiercely serious countenance and burning eyes.

A quotation from La Bruyere

Profound ignorance makes a man dogmatical; he who knows nothing thinks he can teach others what he just now has learned himself.

[C’est la profonde ignorance qui inspire le ton dogmatique. Celui qui ne sait rien croit enseigner aux autres ce qu’il vient d’apprendre lui-même.]

Jean de La Bruyère (1645-1696) French essayist, moralist
The Characters [Les Caractères], ch. 5 “Of Society and Conversation [De la société et de la conversation],” § 76 (5.76) (1688) [tr. Van Laun (1885)]

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The Characters [Les Caractères], ch. 5 "Of Society and Conversation [De la société et de la conversation]," § 76 (5.76) (1688) [tr. Van Laun (1885)] - La Bruyere, Jean de | WIST Quotations

Profound ignorance makes a man dogmatical; he who knows nothing thinks he can teach others what he just now has learned himself. [C'est la profonde ignorance qui inspire le ton dogmatique. Celui qui ne sait rien croit enseigner aux autres ce qu'il...