C'est une étrange entreprise que celle de faire rire les honnêtes gens. — Molière | Printable Wall Art

“C'est une étrange entreprise que celle de faire rire les honnêtes gens.”
“It is a strange undertaking to make decent people laugh.”

Words by Molière (1622-1673) — French playwright and actor, master of classical comedy.

About this quote

Making respectable people laugh is a surprisingly difficult task. Unlike tragedy, which relies on grand drama, comedy requires a deep understanding of human nature and social absurdities. Serious or polite audiences are often quick to judge and slow to unbend. To win their genuine amusement, a creator must subtly expose common flaws without causing offence. It is a delicate, complex craft.

Molière wrote this line in his 1663 play La Critique de l'École des femmes. Spoken by the character Dorante, it forms part of a defence of comedy as a serious artistic craft equal to high tragedy.

People often hang this print in a home office or creative studio to celebrate the serious effort behind humour.

What you get

An instant digital download. Choose your design and size at checkout — 19 typographic designs and 8 print sizes are available for this quote.

• Print-ready PDF with fully embedded vector type — sharp at any scale
• Exact trim size, no cropping required
• Print at home, at a local print shop, or upload to an online printer
• Instant download — no physical item is shipped

Sizes available

5" x 7" · 8" x 10" · 11" x 14" · 12" x 16" · 16" x 20" · 18" x 24" · 24" x 36" · A4 (21 x 29.7 cm)

Designs available

Atelier Serif · Quiet Garamond · Studio Left · Gallery Rule · Midnight Serif · Editorial Left Serif · Modern Sans Calm · Letterpress Caps · Poster Condensed · Script Whisper · Manuscript Italic · Asymmetric Left · Minimal Unsigned · Charcoal Sans · Gallery Frame · Soft Serif Right · Statement Serif · Night Script · Tracked Caps Unsigned

Digital product. Colours may vary slightly between screens and printers. Frames and props are not included.