Oh senseless man, who cannot possibly make a worm or a flea and yet will create Gods by the dozen!
Michel de Montaigne
Religion, Human Nature, Creation, Hubris, Irony
Michel de Montaigne’s Quotes On Topics
Will | Foresight | Nationality | Presumption | Anger | Interest | Human Nature | Self-awareness | Companionship | Privacy | Virtue | Self-governance | Inquiry | Affection | Defeat | Liberal Arts | Money | Volunteering | Integrity | Metaphysics | More
More Michel de Montaigne Quotes
“For a desperate disease a desperate cure.” Michel de Montaigne
Desperation, Cure, Extremes, Problem-solving, Human Nature
Michel de Montaigne Desperation, Cure, Extremes, Problem-solving, Human Nature“No noble thing can be done without risks.” Michel de Montaigne
Nobility, Risk, Courage, Achievement, Human Nature
Michel de Montaigne Nobility, Risk, Courage, Achievement, Human Nature“Age imprints more wrinkles in the mind, than it does in the face, and souls are never, or very rarely seen, that in growing old do not smell sour and musty. Man moves all together, both towards his perfection and decay.” Michel de Montaigne
Aging, Mind, Soul, Human Nature, Life Cycle
Michel de Montaigne Aging, Mind, Soul, Human Nature, Life Cycle“Happiness is a singular incentive to mediocrity.” Michel de Montaigne
Happiness, Mediocrity, Human Nature, Critique, Paradox
Michel de Montaigne Happiness, Mediocrity, Human Nature, Critique, Paradox“We seek and offer ourselves to be gulled.” Michel de Montaigne
Deception, Human Nature, Vulnerability, Social Interaction, Self-awareness
Michel de Montaigne Deception, Human Nature, Vulnerability, Social Interaction, Self-awareness“We find our energies are actually cramped when we are overanxious to succeed.” Michel de Montaigne
Anxiety, Success, Energy, Human Nature, Psychology
Michel de Montaigne Anxiety, Success, Energy, Human Nature, Psychology“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
Life, Purpose, Satisfaction, Will, Wisdom
Michel de Montaigne Life, Purpose, Satisfaction, Will, Wisdom“The entire lower world was created in the likeness of the higher world. All that exists in the higher world appears like an image in this lower world; yet all this is but One.” Michel de Montaigne
Spirituality, Metaphysics, Reality, Perception, Unity
Michel de Montaigne Spirituality, Metaphysics, Reality, Perception, Unity“A person is bound to lose when he talks about himself; if he belittles himself, he is believed; if he praises himself, he isn't believed.” Michel de Montaigne
Self-perception, Communication, Social Dynamics, Belief, Human Nature
Michel de Montaigne Self-perception, Communication, Social Dynamics, Belief, Human Nature“Order a purge for your brain, it will there be much better employed than upon your stomach.” Michel de Montaigne
Intellect, Health, Priorities, Wisdom, Human Nature
Michel de Montaigne Intellect, Health, Priorities, Wisdom, Human Nature“There is some shadow of delight and delicacy which smiles upon and flatters us even in the very lap of melancholy.” Michel de Montaigne
Melancholy, Joy, Human Emotion, Duality, Emotional Complexity
Michel de Montaigne Melancholy, Joy, Human Emotion, Duality, Emotional Complexity“The ceaseless labour of your life is to build the house of death.” Michel de Montaigne
Life, Death, Purpose, Human Condition, Metaphor
Michel de Montaigne Life, Death, Purpose, Human Condition, Metaphor“Without doubt, it is a delightful harmony when doing and saying go together.” Michel de Montaigne
Harmony, Action, Words, Integrity, Consistency
Michel de Montaigne Harmony, Action, Words, Integrity, Consistency“I know that the arms of friendship are long enough to reach from the one end of the world to the other.” Michel de Montaigne
Friendship, Connection, Human Relationships, Universality, Love
Michel de Montaigne Friendship, Connection, Human Relationships, Universality, Love“Make your educational laws strict and your criminal ones can be gentle; but if you leave youth its liberty you will have to dig dungeons for ages.” Michel de Montaigne
Education, Law, Youth, Liberty, Consequences
Michel de Montaigne Education, Law, Youth, Liberty, Consequences“Who so hath his mind on taking, hath it no more on what he taketh.” Michel de Montaigne
Greed, Mindfulness, Possession, Human Nature, Philosophy
Michel de Montaigne Greed, Mindfulness, Possession, Human Nature, Philosophy“In the education of children there is nothing like alluring the interest and affection; otherwise you only make so many asses laden with books.” Michel de Montaigne
Education, Interest, Affection, Learning, Critique
Michel de Montaigne Education, Interest, Affection, Learning, Critique“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
Self-reliance, Wealth, Education, Societal Critique, Human Potential
Michel de Montaigne Self-reliance, Wealth, Education, Societal Critique, Human Potential