[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fKjI10-rBdEqmDkTgL69dEa_4W-bS75BFUd1NF3SXCcI":3,"$fmJ7Z7nwP6rdU9pOQ7jVKABgsdLo_Qgetd8WCedEiJrA":56},{"author":4,"tags":51},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":10,"bio_jsonld":11,"slug":49,"image_url":50},20269,"Jean de La Fontaine","J",187,"Jean de La Fontaine was a French fabulist, poet, and playwright who also worked as a librettist and children's writer.\n\nBorn in Château-Thierry — the record gives contested dates, with sources pointing variously to 1620 or 1621 — La Fontaine was educated at the College of Juilly and later trained as a lawyer. He held citizenship of the Kingdom of France and wrote in the French language. He died in Paris on April 13, 1695, and the Library of Congress authorizes his name as \"La Fontaine, Jean de, 1621–1695.\"\n\nLa Fontaine worked across multiple genres, including the tale and the play, and his role as a librettist points to a range of written forms. The fable, however, is the genre most firmly attached to him by the record — he's identified as a fabulist, and the fable is listed as a primary genre in his output. That consistent association with the fable, alongside his work as a children's writer, defines the clearest picture the available facts give us of his writing life.","Jean de La Fontaine was a French fabulist, poet, and playwright who also worked as a librettist and children's writer.",{"@graph":12,"@context":48},[13,25],{"@id":14,"name":6,"@type":15,"sameAs":16,"birthDate":22,"deathDate":23,"description":24},"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q49496","Person",[14,17,18,19,20,21],"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_de_La_Fontaine","https://viaf.org/viaf/31998552/","https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79081923","https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL31079A","https://d-nb.info/gnd/11856868X","1620-01-01","1695-04-13","French poet, fabulist and writer (1621–1695)",{"@type":26,"author":27,"headline":30,"isBasedOn":31,"mainEntity":32,"reviewedBy":33,"articleBody":9,"dateCreated":34,"dateModified":35,"additionalProperty":36,"creativeWorkStatus":47},"Article",{"name":28,"@type":29},"Editorial Team","Organization","Jean de La Fontaine — biography",[14,17,19],{"@id":14},{"name":28,"@type":29},"2026-05-24T22:56:15.885729+00:00","2026-05-24T23:03:57.611348+00:00",[37,41,44],{"@type":38,"value":39,"propertyID":40},"PropertyValue","Q49496","wikidata",{"@type":38,"value":42,"propertyID":43},"1.000","factscore",{"@type":38,"value":45,"propertyID":46},"claude-sonnet-4-6-r1","draftModel","AI-drafted, auto-published","https://schema.org","jean-de-la-fontaine",null,[52],{"tag_id":53,"tag_name":54,"tag_count":55},326,"men",6,{"quotes":57,"pagination":123},[58,67,73,79,85,91,98,105,111,117],{"id":59,"quote_text":60,"author_id":5,"source_id":61,"has_image":62,"author":63,"source":64,"quote_tag":65,"commentary":66},4020439,"Rare is true love, true friendship is rarer.",8,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nJean de La Fontaine, a French poet and fabulist, penned these poignant words. As a renowned writer, he navigated the complexities of court politics and artistic expression during the late 17th century. His work often reflected on human nature, relationships, and the fleeting nature of love and friendship.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nLa Fontaine's assertion that true friendship is rarer than true love highlights an intriguing paradox: our society tends to idealize romantic love while downplaying the significance of platonic relationships. This dichotomy stems from a cultural emphasis on intense emotional connections, often at the expense of nurturing deep friendships.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, consider investing time and energy in cultivating meaningful friendships alongside your personal relationships. Recognizing the value of true friendship can help you foster deeper, more enduring connections with others that might be less publicly celebrated but no less vital to our well-being.",{"id":68,"quote_text":69,"author_id":5,"source_id":61,"has_image":62,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":50},4020399,"The opinion of the strongest is always the best.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":74,"quote_text":75,"author_id":5,"source_id":61,"has_image":62,"author":76,"source":77,"quote_tag":78,"commentary":50},4020383,"Beware so long as you live, of judging men by their outward appearance.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":80,"quote_text":81,"author_id":5,"source_id":61,"has_image":62,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":50},4020359,"Man is so made that whenever anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":86,"quote_text":87,"author_id":5,"source_id":61,"has_image":62,"author":88,"source":89,"quote_tag":90,"commentary":50},4020320,"No freckles on the skin: as balm she's sweet: Antoinetta is, her spouse replied, Ambrosia ev'ry way: no fault to hide.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":92,"quote_text":93,"author_id":5,"source_id":61,"has_image":62,"author":94,"source":95,"quote_tag":96,"commentary":97},4020314,"Death never takes a wise man by surprise; he is always ready to go.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is often attributed to Jean de La Fontaine, a 17th-century French poet and fabulist. While we can't pinpoint an exact moment when he said these words, it's likely that they were written in one of his numerous poems or fables, which frequently grappled with the human condition and mortality. During this era, the concept of death was omnipresent due to high infant mortality rates, frequent wars, and the plague.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nOn the surface, the quote appears to be a stoic acceptance of one's own mortality. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a profound paradox: that true wisdom lies not in fearlessness or recklessness, but rather in being prepared for death at any moment. This prepares one to live more mindfully and make the most of each day.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, cultivate a sense of perpetual readiness by acknowledging your own mortality and recognizing that every decision has consequences beyond the present moment. By embracing this awareness, you can approach life with greater intentionality and purpose, making the most of each opportunity as if it were your last.",{"id":99,"quote_text":100,"author_id":5,"source_id":101,"has_image":62,"author":102,"source":103,"quote_tag":104,"commentary":50},3721158,"We must laugh before we are happy, for fear we die before we laugh at all.",7,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":106,"quote_text":107,"author_id":5,"source_id":101,"has_image":62,"author":108,"source":109,"quote_tag":110,"commentary":50},3721131,"There is nothing useless to men of sense.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":112,"quote_text":113,"author_id":5,"source_id":101,"has_image":62,"author":114,"source":115,"quote_tag":116,"commentary":50},3721126,"Help thyself and Heaven will help thee.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":118,"quote_text":119,"author_id":5,"source_id":101,"has_image":62,"author":120,"source":121,"quote_tag":122,"commentary":50},3721117,"It is a double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"currentPage":124,"totalPages":125,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":126},1,19,10]