I have never once regretted the time that I have given to others; I can scarcely say as much for; the time that I have used for myself."[20] Remembering how uniformly men of letters take themselves somewhat too seriously, we may be sorry that this unique figure among them, who was in other respects constituted to be so considerable and so effective, did not take himself seriously enough.
Apart from his moral inaptitude for the monumental achievements of authorship, Diderot was endowed with the gifts of the talker rather than with those of the writer.

Like Dr.Johnson, he was a great converser rather than the author of great books.

If we turn to his writings, we are at some loss to understand the secret of his reputation.

They are too often declamatory, ill-compacted, broken by frequent apostrophes, ungainly, dislocated, and rambling.

He has been described by a consummate judge as the most German of all the French.