Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533–92) was a French essayist. Regarded as the creator and one of the great masters of the essay form, Montaigne wrote about important personalities and ideas of his age in his Skeptical Essais (1572–80, 1588; Essays, 1603.)
Born into a family of wealthy merchants near Bordeaux, Montaigne spoke no language but Latin until he was six. He studied law and served as a magistrate and mayor of Bordeaux, and engaged in diplomacy during the French religious civil wars.
In 1570, Montaigne renounced his civic responsibilities to devote himself to the administration of his estate and to write. He called his short works ‘essais,’ or ‘attempts’—they deal with an eclectic range of themes. Even though he never considered himself a philosopher, he is now seen as one of the most outstanding Sceptical thinkers of early modern Europe; his philosophical standpoint was broadly an argument for introspection.
Montaigne published three books of essays; a fourth appeared posthumously in 1595. His approachable style, intelligence, and subtle thought have made him one of the most widely admired writers of the Renaissance. His essays greatly influenced French and English literature.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Michel de Montaigne
Who feareth to suffer suffereth already, because he feareth.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Suffering
After a tongue has once got the knack of lying, ’tis not to be imagined how impossible almost it is to reclaim it. Whence it comes to pass that we see some men, who are otherwise very honest, so subject to this vice.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Lying
An unattempted woman cannot boast of her chastity.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Perspective
The memory represents to us not what we choose but what it pleases.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Memory
A well bred man is always sociable and complaisant.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Manners
Every period of life has its peculiar prejudices; whoever saw old age, that did not applaud the past, and condemn the present times?
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Prejudice
A little of everything and nothing thoroughly, after the French fashion.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Fashion
Obstinacy is the sister of constancy, at least in vigor and stability.
—Michel de Montaigne
The souls of emperors and cobblers are cast in the same mold…. The same reason that makes us wrangle with a neighbour causes a war betwixt princes.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Equality
The greatest thing in the world is to know how to be self-sufficient.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Independence
The same reason that makes us chide and brawl and fall out with any of our neighbors, causeth a war to follow between Princes.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Quarrels, Fighting, Fight
Things seem greater by imagination than they are in effect.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Imagination
Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Poverty, Attitude
I observe in all my travels, this custom—ever to learn something from the information of those with whom I confer, which is the best school of all others, and to put my company upon those subjects they are best able to speak of: for it often falls out, that, on the contrary, every one will rather choose to be prating of another man’s province than his own, thinking it so much new reputation acquired.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Learning
Laws gain their authority from actual possession and custom: it is perilous to go back to their origins; laws, like our rivers, get greater and nobler as they roll along: follow them back upstream to their sources and all you find is a tiny spring, hardly recognizable; as time goes by it swells with pride and grows in strength.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Law
There is little less trouble in governing a private family than a whole kingdom.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Family
Necessity reconciles and brings men together; and this accidental connection afterwards forms itself into laws.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Necessity
In plain truth, lying is an accursed vice. We are not men, nor have any other tie upon another, but by our word.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Deception/Lying, Lies
The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them; a man may live long yet live very little.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Time Management
The soul that has no fixed goal loses itself; for as they say, to be everywhere is to be nowhere.
—Michel de Montaigne
I do myself a greater injury in lying that I do him of whom I tell a lie.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Lying, Lies, Deception/Lying
‘Tis a cowardly and servile humor to hide and disguise a man’s self under a visor, and not to dare to show himself what he is. By that our followers are trained up to treachery. Being brought up to speak what is not true, they make no conscience of a lie.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Hypocrisy
It would be better to have no laws at all, than to have too many.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Law
A wise man loses nothing, if he but save himself.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Loss
We can be knowledgeable with other men’s knowledge, but we cannot be wise with other men’s wisdom.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Wisdom, Knowledge
So it is with minds. Unless you keep them busy with some definite subject that will bridle and control them, they throw themselves in disorder hither and yon in the vague field of imagination … And there is no mad or idle fancy that they do not bring forth in the agitation.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Imagination
It is commonly seen by experience that excellent memories do often accompany weak judgements.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Memories, Judgment, Judges, Judging
If my mind could gain a firm footing, I would not make essays, I would make decisions; but it is always in apprenticeship and on trial.
—Michel de Montaigne
There is no man so good, who, were he to submit all his thoughts and actions to the law, would not deserve hanging ten times in his life.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Virtue, Innocence, Virtues
How many things served us but yesterday as articles of faith, which today we deem but fables?
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Belief
A good marriage would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Marriage
There is no pleasure to me without communication: there is not so much as a sprightly thought comes into my mind that it does not grieve me to have produced alone, and that I have no one to tell it to.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Communication
A man must live in the world and make the best of it, such as it is.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Acceptance
Few men have been admired of their familiars.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Service, Servants
The secret of success in life is known only to those who have not succeeded.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Success
A wise man sees as much as he ought, not as much as he can.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Wisdom, Being Ourselves, Potential
The Ancient Mariner said to Neptune during a great storm, “O God, you will save me if you wish, but I am going to go on holding my tiller straight”.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Self-reliance, Prayer
‘Tis an absolute and, as it were, divine perfection for man to know how to fully realize his nature.
—Michel de Montaigne
I like men who are temperate and moderate in everything. An excessive zeal for that which is good, though it may not be offensive to me, at all events raises my wonder, and leaves me in a difficulty how I should call it.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Zeal
The clearest sign of wisdom is continued cheerfulness.
—Michel de Montaigne
Topics: Happiness, Cheerfulness
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