La Philosophie du Débrouillard
1909 — Une Campagne de Vingt-et-Un Ans
Librairie de l’Éducation Physique, p. 216–220
Title and Opening Address:
Speech for the distribution of the Débrouillards Diploma to the 1907 graduates.
“Dear Débrouillards,”
Context:
Coubertin opens by directly addressing the graduates as débrouillards, affirming the term as both a formal title and a lifelong identity.
Naming the Quality of the Era:
“Ease of getting by is the most necessary quality for man today... A whole maze of temptations, calculations, and orientations through which one must navigate and débrouiller.”
Context:
Coubertin connects the verb se débrouiller directly to the modern human condition.
Navigating complexity becomes the essential survival skill of the new century.
Diploma as a Method for Life:
“The best way to approach them will be to apply the method that stems from the very institution of the diploma you are about to receive. So, gentlemen, the Débrouillards diploma emanates this double recommendation: a strong individualist culture supported by a reasonable eclecticism.”
Context:
The Débrouillards diploma is not merely certification, but a philosophical method combining independent character and versatile competence.
It sets a system for navigating uncertainty across all domains of life.
On What the Diploma Demands:
“Thus, it is important that the physical development of the individual and their muscular perfection remain at the forefront of concerns. This is why, in instituting the Débrouillards diploma... we did not demand any real achievement from you.”
Context:
Coubertin clarifies that mastery of heroic feats is not the objective.
Instead, a well rounded, adaptable, and practical physical base defines the true débrouillard.
Power Through Eclectic Competence:
“A man... capable of rescue, of using transport, or handling a weapon... he gains self confidence and experiences... the touch of his own autonomous power. Now, this power is based on eclecticism; it is by dabbling in many things that he has been able to acquire it.”
Context:
Breadth, not specialization, is the source of the débrouillard’s self possession and resilience.
Eclectic practice leads to a profound sense of autonomous strength.
Universal Application of the Formula:
“I told you, gentlemen, that this formula from the Débrouillards diploma is applicable to one's entire life. Do you now understand what I meant by proposing... to extend to the intellectual and moral domain this excellent muscular formula: a strong individualist culture supported by a reasonable eclecticism?”
Context:
Coubertin argues for the lifelong application of the débrouillard formula: physically, intellectually, and morally.
Minor Additions Strengthening the Case:
Use of the Term “Diplôme Musculaire:”
“You might expect me to marvel... that a muscular diploma is being presented to you in this intellectual arena…”
Context:
Coubertin highlights the radical integration of physical capability into intellectual culture.
The débrouillard is not merely athletic but embodies a complete educational philosophy.
“Débrouillages” — The Plural of Challenge:
“The three great débrouillages that await you are these: career, private life, public life...”
Context:
Coubertin introduces débrouillages as distinct life arenas where the principles of débrouillardise must be applied.
It extends the concept beyond the individual into specific, strategic domains of life navigation.
“Diplôme des Débrouillards” as Identity Anchor:
Repeated multiple times throughout the speech.
Context:
Coubertin uses the repeated phrase to cement the diploma’s identity not as a mere academic credential, but as a living system of self development.
It serves as rhetorical reinforcement of the débrouillard as a civic archetype.
Key Insight:
This speech is the philosophical summit of Coubertin’s work on débrouillardise. The Débrouillards Diploma is framed as both symbol and method — a lifelong commitment to versatility, self reliance, eclectic practice, and resilient navigation of a complex modern world.
