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Michel de Montaigne Biography

Michel de Montaigne

Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, Lord of Montaigne (/mɒnˈteɪn/; French: [miʃɛl ekɛm də mɔ̃tɛɲ]; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592) was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance, known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. His work is noted for its merging of casual anecdotes and autobiography with serious intellectual insight; his massive volume Essais contains some of the most influential essays ever written.

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Michel de Montaigne Quotes

If I am to serve as an instrument of deceit, at least let it be with a clear conscience. I do not want to be considered either so affectionate or so loyal a servant as to be found fit to betray anyone.

Clear, Considered, Deceit, Loyal, Want

He loves little who loves by rule.

Life, Littles, Loves, Rule

Who does not see that I have taken a road along which I shall go, without stopping and without effort, as long as there is ink and paper in the world? I cannot keep a record of my life by my actions; fortune places them too low. I keep it by my thoughts.

Ink And Paper, Keep, Long, Taken

The shortest way to arrive at glory should be to do that for conscience which we do for glory. And the virtue of Alexander appears to me with much less vigor in his theater than that of Socrates in his mean and obscure. I can easily conceive Socrates in the place of Alexander, but Alexander in that of Socrates I cannot.

Alexander, Arrive, Mean, Vigor, Virtue, Way

What a man hates, he takes seriously.

Hate, Hates, Man, Men, Seriously, Takes

Difficulty is a coin the learned make use of like jugglers, to conceal the inanity of their art.

Art, Coins, Difficulty, Jugglers, Use

I know that the arms of friendship are long enough to reach from the one end of the world to the other

Arms, Friendship, Long, World

Is there a polity better ordered, the offices better distributed, and more inviolably observed and maintained, than that of bees?

Bees, Distributed, Insects, Inviolably, Office, Offices

Only the fools are certain and assured.

Assured, Certain, Fool, Fools, Wisdom

Fie on the eloquence that leaves us craving itself, not things!

Asceticism, Craving, Fie, Things, Wisdom

To know much is often the cause of doubting more.

Cause, Causes, Doubt, Doubting, Know, Knows

Oh these foolish men! They could not create so much as a worm, but they create gods by the dozens.

Dozens, Foolish, Foolish Man, Gods, Men, Religion

And one might therefore say of me that in this book I have only made up a bunch of other people's flowers, and that of my own I have only provided the string that ties them together.

Book, Flower, Flowers, Ties

Men do not know the natural infirmity of their mind: it does nothing but ferret and quest, and keeps incessantly whirling around, building up and becoming entangled in its own work, like silkworms, and is suffocated in it. A mouse in a pitch barrel. . . thinks it notices from a distance some sort of glimmer of imaginary light and truth; but while running toward it, it is crossed by so many difficulties and obstacles, and diverted by so many new quests, that it strays from the road, bewildered.

Distance, Men, Notices, Running, Silkworms

Obstinacy and heat in argument are surest proofs of folly. Is there anything so stubborn, obstinate, disdainful, contemplative, grave, or serious, as an ass?

Grave, Heat, Proofs, Serious, Stubborn

The births of all things are weak and tender and therefore we should have our eyes intent on beginnings.

Births, Eye, Eyes, Intent, New Beginnings, Should Have

There is more ado to interpret interpretations than to interpret things, and more books upon books than upon any other subject; we do nothing but comment upon one another. Every place swarms with commentaries; of authors there is great scarcity.

Book, Interpretation, Nothing, Scarcity, Things

There is no greater enemy to those who would please than expectation.

Enemy, Expectations, Greater, Please

The middle sort of historians (of which the most part are) spoil all; they will chew our meat for us.

Chew, Historians, History, Meat, Middle, Spoil

Intemperance is the plaque of sensuality, and temperance is not its bane but its seasoning.

Intemperance, Seasoning, Sensuality, Temperance

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