I write to keep from going mad from the contradictions I find among mankind – and to work some of those contradictions out for myself. – Michel de Montaigne
Once conform, once do what others do because they do it, and a kind of lethargy steals over all the finer senses of the soul. – Michel de Montaigne
I study myself more than any other subject. That is my metaphysics, that is my physics. – Michel de Montaigne
Unless a man feels he has a good enough memory, he should never venture to lie. – Michel de Montaigne
A straight oar looks bent in the water. What matters is not merely that we see things but how we see them. – Michel de Montaigne
It is an absolute and virtually divine perfection to know how to enjoy our being rightfully. – Michel de Montaigne
The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost; to be everywhere, is to be nowhere. – Michel de Montaigne
The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them… Whether you find satisfaction in life depends not on your tale of years, but on your will. – Michel de Montaigne
There is not much less vexation in the government of a private family than in the managing of an entire state. – Michel de Montaigne
I have often seen people uncivil by too much civility, and tiresome in their courtesy. – Michel de Montaigne
If there is such a thing as a good marriage, it is because it resembles friendship rather than love. – Michel de Montaigne
He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak. – Michel de Montaigne
We only labor to stuff the memory, and leave the conscience and the understanding unfurnished and void. – Michel de Montaigne
