Letter Never Sent Tell me when to go.

I like Michel de Montaigne because he helps me when I get too out of control, when I begin to become too fatalistic and cynical, or even overzealous. He emphasized moderation, pragmatism, and dispassionate reason. To me his message is ‘relax’. As Eugen Weber describes, “Unusual in trying to take no side in the religious wars that were tearing France apart, Montaigne was more unusual still in that he felt no hatred for his enemies — at least, no more than circumstances required. His humorous scepticism and his detachment would be recognized as subversive when his book was placed on the Index of prohibited books in 1676.”

Here are some of his quotations. He was fond of quoting others so it is appropriate to quote him here:

• He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak.
• How many things we held yesterday as articles of faith which today we tell as fables.
• If you don’t know how to die, don’t worry; Nature will tell you what to do on the spot, fully and adequately. She will do this job perfectly for you; don’t bother your head about it.
• It is good to rub and polish our brain against that of others.
• It is not death, it is dying that alarms me.
• Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself.
• Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.
• The world is but a perpetual see-saw.
• We can be knowledgable with other men’s knowledge but we cannot be wise with other men’s wisdom.
• There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees.
• Man is certainly stark mad. He cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by the dozen.
• There is, nevertheless, a certain respect and a general duty of humanity that ties us, not only to beasts that have life and sense, but even to trees and plants.
• When I play with my cat, who knows whether I do not make her more sport than she makes me?
• The souls of emperors and cobblers are cast in the same mould…. The same reason that makes us wrangle with a neighbour causes a war betwixt princes.
• He that I am reading seems always to have the most force.
• There never was in the world two opinions alike, no more than two hairs or two grains; the most universal quality is diversity.
• 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.
• I have never seen a greater monster or miracle in the world than myself.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2002 at 4:48 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.