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Michel de Montaigne Quotes about Life

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My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened.

My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened.

Michel de Montaigne
Inspirational, Funny, Life
Attributed to "Essais" by Michel de Montaigne, 1595.

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Integrity, Law Of Attraction
Michel de Montaigne (2015). “Montaigne's Essays: Top Essays”, p.679, 谷月社

We must learn to endure what we cannot avoid. Our life is composed, like the harmony of the world, of contrary things, also of different tones, sweet and harsh, sharp and flat, soft and loud. If a musician liked only one kind, what would he have to say?

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Sweet, Diversity
Michel de Montaigne (1963). “Montaigne's Essays and Selected Writings”

My art and profession is to live.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Art, Profession
Michel de Montaigne (1967). “The Essays of Montaigne”

If you have known how to compose your life, you have done a great deal more than the person who knows how to compose a book. You have done more than the one who has taken cities and empires.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Book, Taken

Learned we may be with another man's learning: we can only be wise with wisdom of our own.

Michel de Montaigne
Inspirational, Life, Wise
Michel de Montaigne (1991). “The essays of Michel de Montaigne”, Lane, Allen

Have you been able to think out and manage your own life? You have done the greatest task of all.... All other things, ruling, hoarding, building, are only little appendages and props, at most.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Thinking, Thoughtful

There is no man so good, who, were he to submit all his thoughts and actions to the laws, would not deserve hanging ten times in his life.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Humility, Men
Michel de Montaigne, Marvin Lowenthal (1999). “The Autobiography of Michel de Montaigne: Comprising the Life of the Wisest Man of His Times : His Childhood, Youth, and Prime : His Adventures in Love and Marriage, at Court, and in Office, War, Revolution, and Plague : His Travels at Home and Abroad : His Habits, Tastes, Whims, and Opinions”, p.210, David R. Godine Publisher

Make use of life while you have it. Whether you have lived enough depends upon yourself, not on the number of your years.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Years, Numbers

I speak the truth, not my fill of it, but as much as I dare speak; and I dare to do so a little more as I grow old.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Success, Truth
"Essais" by Michel de Montaigne, Book III, Ch. 2, 1595.

There were many terrible things in my life and most of them never happened.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Terrible, Happened

Those who have compared our life to a dream were right... we were sleeping wake, and waking sleep.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Dream, Sleep

If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than it was because he was he, and I was I.

Michel de Montaigne
Love, Life, Friendship
"Essais" by Michel de Montaigne, Book I, Ch. 28, 1595.

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
Life, Success, Lying
Attributed to "Essais" by Michel de Montaigne, Book I, Ch. 9, 1595.

As for me, then, I love life and cultivate it just as God has been pleased to grant it to us.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Self, Grants
Michel de Montaigne (1958). “Complete Essays”

Pythagoras used to say that life resembles the Olympic Games: a few people strain their muscles to carry off a prize; others bring trinkets to sell to the crowd for gain; and some there are, and not the worst, who seek no other profit than to look at the show and see how and why everything is done; spectators of the life of other people in order to judge and regulate their own.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Order, Games

He loves little who loves by rule.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Littles

My trade and my art is living. He who forbids me to speak about it according to my sense, experience, and practice, let him orderthe architect to speak of buildings not according to himself but according to his neighbor; according to another man's knowledge, not according to his own.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Art, Knowledge
Michel de Montaigne (1979). “Essays”

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".

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

The great and glorious masterpiece of humanity is to know how to live with a purpose.

Michel de Montaigne
Inspirational, Life, Humanity

I do myself a greater injury in lying than I do him of whom I tell a lie.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Success, Lying
Michel de Montaigne (2016). “Delphi Complete Works of Michel de Montaigne (Illustrated)”, p.901, Delphi Classics

The finest lives in my opinion are the common model, without miracle and without extravagance.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Miracle, Extravagance

I set forth a humble and inglorious life; that does not matter. You can tie up all moral philosophy with a common and private life just as well as with a life of richer stuff. Each man bears the entire form of man's estate.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Philosophy, Humble
Michel de Montaigne (1958). “Complete Essays”, p.611, Stanford University Press

The advantage of living is not measured by length, but by use; some men have lived long, and lived little; attend to it while you are in it. It lies in your will, not in the number of years, for you to have lived enough.

Michel de Montaigne
Life, Lying, Men
Michel de Montaigne (1958). “Complete Essays”, p.67, Stanford University Press

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