“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve solved the whole mystery. The whole secret of their effect lies in their stupidity.” (His eyes flashed.) “Yes, gentlemen, if this stupidity were intentional, pretended and calculated, oh, that would be a stroke of genius! But we must do them justice: they don’t pretend anything. It’s the barest, most simplehearted, most shallow stupidity. C’est la bêtise dans son essence la plus pure, quelque chose comme un simple chimique. If it were expressed ever so little more cleverly, everyone would see at once the poverty of this shallow stupidity. But as it is, everyone is left wondering: no one can believe that it is such elementary stupidity. ‘It’s impossible that there’s nothing more in it,’ everyone says to himself and tries to find the secret of it, sees a mystery in it, tries to read between the lines⁠—the effect is attained! Oh, never has stupidity been so solemnly rewarded, though it has so often deserved it.⁠ ⁠… For, en parenthese , stupidity is of as much service to humanity as the loftiest genius.⁠ ⁠…”