Michel de Montaigne Quotes - Page 3

• Happiness involves working toward meaningful goals.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Happiness, Meaningful, Goal

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• A man must keep a little back shop where he can be himself without reserve. In solitude alone can he know true freedom.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Freedom, Men, Solitude

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• A man must become wise at his own expense.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Wise, Wisdom, Men

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• Sometimes it is a good choice not to choose at all.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Choices, Sometimes, Good Choices

  Michel de Montaigne (1603). “Essayes”

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• Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Memories, Wish, Criminal Mind

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• Men are tormented by the opinions they have of things, and not the things themselves.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Men, Opinion

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• The man who thinks he knows does not yet know what knowing is

  Michel de Montaigne

  Men, Thinking, Knowing

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• The conduct of our lives is the true mirror of our doctrine.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Mirrors, Example, Doctrine

  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.231

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• Honesty is a question of right and wrong, not a matter of policy

  Michel de Montaigne

  Honesty, Matter, Policy

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• A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Wise, Being Yourself, Men

  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.129

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• Other people do not see you at all, but guess at you by uncertain conjectures.

  Michel de Montaigne

  People, Conjecture, Uncertain

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• A man must learn to endure patiently what he cannot avoid conveniently.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Inspirational, Men, Endure

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• Confidence in the goodness of another is good proof of one's own goodness.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Confidence, Philosophical, Goodness

  Attributed to "Essais" by Michel de Montaigne, Book I, Ch. 14, 1595.

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• No one but yourself knows whether you are cowardly and cruel, or loyal and devout; others do not see you; they surmise you by uncertain conjectures; they perceive not so much your nature as your art.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Art, Loyal, Conjecture

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• My home...It is my retreat and resting place from wars, I try to keep this corner as a haven against the tempest outside, as I do another corner in my soul.

  Michel de Montaigne

  War, Home, Soul

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• Truly it is reasonable to make a great distinction between the faults that come from our weakness and those that come from our wickedness.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Evil, Weakness, Wickedness

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• We are all of us richer than we think we are; but we are taught to borrow and to beg, and brought up more to make use of what is another's than of our own.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Thinking, Use, Taught

  Michel de Montaigne (1872). “All the Essays of Michael Seigneur de Montaigne”, p.826

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• He who is not sure of his memory, should not undertake the trade of lying.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Honesty, Memories, Lying

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

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• All permanent decisions are made in a temporary state of mind.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Decision, Mind, States

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• The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost; to be everywhere, is to be nowhere.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Cute, Soul, Lost Friendship

  49 Copy quote

• Lying is a terrible vice, it testifies that one despises God, but fears men.

  Michel de Montaigne

  God, Lying, Men

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• I know well what I am fleeing from but not what I am in search of.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Discovery, Finding Yourself, Fleeing

  Michel de Montaigne (1946). “The essays”

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• Wise men have more to learn of fools than fools of wise men.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Wise, Men, Fool

  Michel de Montaigne (1811). “The essays of Michael de Montaigne”, p.166

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• Take care that old age does not wrinkle your spirit even more than your face.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Wrinkles, Age, Doe

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• It takes strong ears indeed to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure criticism without being stung by it, those who venture to criticize us perform a remarkable act of friendship. For it is a healthy love that will risk wounding or offending in order to profer a benefit.

  Michel de Montaigne

  Love, Strong, Honesty

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