Michel Eyquem De Montaigne
94 quotations
Who does not in some sort live to others, does not live much to himself.
I do myself a greater injury in lying that I do him of whom I tell a lie.
He who is not very strong in memory should not meddle with lying.
Lying is a terrible vice, it testifies that one despises God, but fears men.
My art and profession is to live.
The finest lives in my opinion are the common model, without miracle and without extravagance.
He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak.
The word is half his that speaks, and half his that hears it.
If there is such a thing as a good marriage, it is because it resembles friendship rather than love.
A good marriage would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband.
The memory represents to us not what we choose but what it pleases.
He who has not a good memory should never take upon himself the trade of lying.
It is much more easy to accuse the one sex than to excuse the other.
The most unhappy and frail creatures are men and yet they are the proudest.
I have never seen a greater monster or miracle than myself.
My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened.
Taking it all in all, I find it is more trouble to watch after money than to get it.
Let Nature have her way; she understands her business better than we do.
There are few men who dare to publish to the world the prayers they make to Almighty God.
Philosophy is doubt.
Scratching is one of nature's sweetest gratifications, and the one nearest at hand.
It is easier to write an indifferent poem than to understand a good one.
I consider myself an average man, except in the fact that I consider myself an average man.
Once you have decided to keep a certain pile, it is no longer yours; for you can't spend it.
A wise man sees as much as he ought, not as much as he can.