France
Jean de La Fontaine
saidundated
People must help one another; it is nature's law.
— "L'Ane et le Chien", as quoted in On a Darkling Plain (1995) by Richard Lee Byers, p. 94.
Jean de La Fontaine
French poet, fabulist and writer (1621–1695)
- Fame76.4
- Momentum0.9
- France rank#117
Summary
Updated 2026-06-08
He wrote fables that became the template for every fabulist who came after. Three centuries on, his animal parables are still the ones French children grow up hearing, and his face has appeared on everything from statues to stamps.
Biography
About
Born in July 1621, Jean de La Fontaine spent years under royal suspicion before the Académie Française finally admitted him. The Fables he produced became the most widely read poetry of 17th-century France, setting a standard that fabulists across Europe would follow and that inspired countless regional adaptations at home. His reputation never dimmed after his death in April 1695. France has kept him visible in bronze, on medals, coins, and postage — a poet whose talking animals outlasted the monarchy that once doubted him.
Voice
In their own words
Sourced, dated quotes from Jean de La Fontaine
Jean de La Fontaine
saidundated
Everyone calls himself a friend, but only a fool relies on it; nothing is commoner than the name, nothing rarer than the thing.
— "Parole de Socrate", as quoted in The Wordsworth Book of Humorous Quotations (1998), edited by C. Robertson
Jean de La Fontaine
saidundated
Everyone believes very easily whatever they fear or desire.
— As quoted in Subcontact : Slap the Face of Fear and Wake Up Your Subconscious (2001) by Dian Benson, p. 149
Jean de La Fontaine
saidundated
We then saw what St. Jerome said of those who serve God and those who serve the world: "Each to the other we seem insane": Invicem insanire videmur.
— Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de Port-Royal (1752), as cited by M. A. Screech in Laughter at the Foot of the Cross (1997), p. 69
Jean de La Fontaine
saidundated
A l'oeuvre on connaît l'artisan.
— By the work one knows the workman.
Gallery
Photos
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Where to find them
Platforms
By the numbers
Score breakdown
The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.
Fame
Stable76.4
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum0.9
Historical25.1
Now attention19.8
Source confidence65.0
Completeness75.0
Receipts
Sources
- WikipediaHigh confidencewikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- WikidataHigh confidencewikidata · wikidata.org
- Pantheon 2.0High confidencedatabase · pantheon.world
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