[Ads-l] Quote: Once a Philosopher; Twice a Pervert

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The saying in the subject line has been attributed to Voltaire (pen
name of François-Marie Arouet), and I was asked to explore its
provenance.

Here is a 20th century version of the pertinent anecdote from
publisher and quotation collector Bennett Cerf:

[ref] 1943 March 27, The Saturday Review, Trade Winds by Bennett Cerf,
Start Page 20, Quote Page 21, Column 2, The Saturday Review
Associates, New York. (Unz) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Voltaire, it appears, was invited one night to participate in an orgy
by a notoriously dissolute group of Parisians. He went, and gave such
a satisfactory account of himself that the very next night he was
asked to come again. "Ah no, my friends," said Voltaire with a slight
smile. "Once: a philosopher; twice: a pervert!"
[End excerpt]

The earliest match I have seen appeared in 1886 within volume ten of
"The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night" (Arabian Nights)
translated and annotated by the famous British explorer and writer
Richard Francis Burton. This version of the anecdote was about two
people and not a group. The phrase "Sage of Ferney" referred to
Voltaire:

[ref] 1886, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night: A Plain and
Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments, Translated
and Annotated by Richard F. Burton, Volume 10, Quote Page 214,
Privately Printed by The Burton Club. (Letter in front matter is dated
July 12, 1886) (HathiTrust Full View) link [/ref]
https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.32106007397000

[Begin excerpt]
. . . the popular anecdote of Voltaire and the Englishman who agreed
upon an "experience" and found it far from satisfactory. A few days
afterwards the latter informed the Sage of Ferney that he had tried it
again and provoked the exclamation, "Once a philosopher: twice a
sodomite!"
[End excerpt]

The variability of this adage and anecdote make tracing difficult.
Below is a snapshot summary showing members of this family of sayings
together with dates. The general template is “Once an X; Twice a Y”,
and the meanings of these statements differ:

1845: Une fois philosophe; deux fois joueur déterminé.
1845: Translation: Once a philosopher; twice a determined gambler.
1878: Once a philosopher, twice a fool.
1886: Once a philosopher: twice a sodomite.
1929: Once, a philosopher; twice, a beast.
1943: Once: a philosopher; twice: a pervert.
1951: Une fois, c’est être philosophe ; deux fois, c’est être ... autre chose.
1951: Translation: Once is to be a philosopher; twice is to be ...
something else.
1963: Un fois philosophe; deux fois bougre.
1963: Translation: Once a philosopher; twice a bugger.
1974: Once a philosopher, twice a pederast.
1975: Once, a philosopher. Twice, a degenerate.
1978: Une fois, c’est être philosophe ; deux fois, c’est être pédéraste.
1978: Translation: Once is to be a philosopher; twice is to be a pederast.

Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2024/09/07/once-twice/

Feedback welcome
Garson O'Toole

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