la sagesse

Le doute est le commencement de la sagesse // Doubt is the beginning of wisdom

On citation-celebre.leparisien.fr website they ascribe the quote to Aristotle, but once you start looking for the confirmation, you find that it was also said by Pierre Abélard, René Descartes and probably few other wise people. So, a bit of a question mark there. Personally, I have no doubts about the idea expressed by the quote, which, in turn, must be an oxymoron.

The cat, being a simple creature, occasionally has his doubts, too. On this occasion he doubts if he should take red velvet or cherry mousse cake first.

Il n'est pas prudent

Il n'est pas prudent d'écarter de ses calculs un dragon vivant, quand on est près de lui // It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations if you live near him

 

The quote comes from The Hobbit.

You might think the cat is being impertinent, sitting on the top of a sleeping dragon to admire sunset. But he is not. Firstly, they are friends with the dragon. Secondly, nobody, not even dragons, can resist his feline charm. We all suspect that cats rule the world. Cats themselves just know it.

Pics related to dragons, sunsets and cats on shutterstock.

les loisirs

La société de masse ne veut pas la culture mais les loisirs // Mass society does not want culture but entertainment

 

Today's quote from Citation célébre, by Hannah Arendt, is somewhat heavier than their usual fare.

I find it difficult to disagree though.

Le jour de la marmotte

Jour de la marmotte// Groundhog day

 

Happy Groundhog Day to all of you.

In case you, like me, can never remember what the original reference is all about, here is an extract from wikipedia, to save you googling

"if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den, and winter will go on for six more weeks; if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early"

Or "if 2nd Feb is cloudy, early spring, if sunny - late spring" for short. Of course it kinda removes the groundhog from the  equation, but well, I am sure he doesn't mind.

The cat was going to hold a parasol over the emerging groundhog and thus bring in an early spring, but the day is cloudy and no interfering is needed. The groundhog looks mighty suspicious and might retreat into his den anyway though.