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Michel de Montaigne Quotes - Page 22

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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.

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.

Michel de Montaigne
Mean, Vigor, Way
Michel de Montaigne, Charles Cotton (1711). “Essays of Michael Seigneur de Montaigne: In Three Books with Marginal Notes and Quotations. And an Account of the Author's Life. With a Short Character of the Author and Translator,”, p.29

The land of marriage has this peculiarity: that strangers are desirous of inhabiting it, while its natural inhabitants would willingly be banished from thence.

Michel de Montaigne
Land, Stranger, Natural

Miracles arise from our ignorance of nature, not from nature itself.

Michel de Montaigne
Ignorance, Miracle, Agnostic
Michel de Montaigne (1956). “Autobiography: Comprising the Life of the Wisest Man of His Times ...”

Beauty is the true prerogative of women, and so peculiarly their own, that our sex, though naturally requiring another sort of feature, is never in its lustre but when puerile and beardless, confused and mixed with theirs.

Michel de Montaigne
Beauty, Sex, Confused
Michel de Montaigne (1849). “Works: Comprising His Essays, Letters, and Journey Through Germany and Italy; with Notes, Notices, Etc”, p.407

Each person calls barbarism whatever is not his or her own practice.... We may call Cannibals barbarians, in respect to the rulesof reason, but not in respect to ourselves, who surpass them in every kind of barbarity.

Michel de Montaigne
Practice, Diversity, May

There is power in ambition, pleasure in luxury...but envy can gain nothing but vexation.

Michel de Montaigne
Gratitude, Ambition, Luxury

Now, of all the benefits that virtue confers upon us, the contempt of death is one of the greatest.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Death, Benefits
"Montaigne's Essays: Top Essays".

Ambition sufficiently plagues her proselytes, by keeping themselves always in show, like the statue of a public place.

Michel de Montaigne
Ambition, Shows, Plague

After they had accustomed themselves at Rome to the spectacles of the slaughter of animals, they proceeded to those of the slaughter of men, to the gladiators.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Death, Animal
Michel de Montaigne (1850). “Works, Comprising His Essays, Letters, and Journey Through Germany and Italy: With Notes from All the Commentators, Biographical and Bibliographical Notices &c., &c”, p.224

There is no course of life so weak and sottish as that which is managed by order, method, and discipline.

Michel de Montaigne
Order, Discipline, Virtue

No two men ever judged alike of the same thing, and it is impossible to find two opinions exactly similar, not only in different men but in the same men at different times.

Michel de Montaigne
Change, Men, Two
Michel de Montaigne (1958). “Essays”

Those who give the first shock to a state are the first overwhelmed in its ruin; the fruits of public commotion are seldom enjoyed by him who was the first mover; he only beats the water for another's net.

Michel de Montaigne
Giving, Water, Ruins
Michel de Montaigne, Antoine JAY (1842). “The Complete Works of Michael de Montaigne; Comprising; the Essays, Translated by Cotton; the Letters; the Journey Into Germany and Italy, Now First Translated; a Life by the Editor; Notes: ... Critical Opinions; ... the Éloges of MM. Jay and Villemain; a”, p.46

Pleasure itself is painful at the bottom.

Michel de Montaigne
Painful, Pleasure, Bottom
Michel de Montaigne (1701). “An Abstract of the most Curious and Excellent Thoughts in Seigneur de Montaigne's Essays ... Done into English from the French original.Jpp. 227”, p.189

The only good histories are those written by those who had command in the events they describe.

Michel de Montaigne
History, Events, Command

A good marriage ... is a sweet association in life: full of constancy, trust, and an infinite number of useful and solid services and mutual obligations.

Michel de Montaigne
Trust, Marriage, Sweet
Michel de Montaigne (1980). “Essays”

I conceive that pleasures are to be avoided if greater pains be the consequence, and pains to be coveted that will terminate in greater pleasures.

Michel de Montaigne
Pain, Pleasure, Avoided
Michel de Montaigne, James Hain Friswell (1866). “Essays by Montaigne. [A selection.] Edited, compared, revised, and annotated by the Author of “The Gentle Life” [J. H. Friswell].”, p.318

Such as are in immediate fear of a losing their estates, of banishment, or of slavery, live in perpetual anguish, and lose all appetite and repose; whereas such as are actually poor, slaves, or exiles, ofttimes live as merrily as other folk.

Michel de Montaigne
Slavery, Losing, Poor
Michel de Montaigne (2015). “Montaigne's Essays: Top Essays”, p.92, 谷月社

The judgment is an utensil proper for all subjects, and will have an oar in everything.

Michel de Montaigne
Utensils, Judgment, Oar
Michel de Montaigne (2016). “Delphi Complete Works of Michel de Montaigne (Illustrated)”, p.536, Delphi Classics

I give my opinion not as being good, but as being my own.

Michel de Montaigne
Giving, Opinion, Be Good

The beginnings of all things are weak and tender. We must therefore be clear-sighted in the beginnings, for, as in their budding we discern not the danger, so in their full growth we perceive not the remedy.

Michel de Montaigne
Growth, Weak, Danger
Michel de Montaigne (1964). “Selected essays of Montaigne: in the translation of John Florio”

He who falls obstinate in his courage, if he falls he fights from his knees.

Michel de Montaigne
Fall, Fighting, Knees

An ancient father says that a dog we know is better company than a man whose language we do not understand.

Michel de Montaigne
Dog, Father, Men
Michel de Montaigne “Annotated Essays of Michel de Montaigne with English Grammar Exercises: by Michel de Montaigne (Author), Robert Powell (Editor)”, Powell Publications, LLC

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
Past, Age, Prejudice

I seek in the reading of books, only to please myself, by an honest diversion.

Michel de Montaigne
Book, Reading, Honest
Michel de Montaigne (2013). “Michel de Montaigne: Selected Essays”, p.71, Courier Corporation

I have here only made a nosegay of culled flowers, and have brought nothing of my own but the thread that tied them together.

Michel de Montaigne
Philosophy, Flower, Together
Michel de Montaigne, William Hazlitt (1845). “The Works of Michael de Montaigne: Comprising His Essays, Letters, Journey Through Germany and Italy. With Notes from All the Commentators, Biographical and Bibliographical Notices, &c. &c”, p.489

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