Michel de Montaigne: A Review of The Essays

If you’ve never been exposed to the timeless ideas of Michel de Montaigne, his essays will leave you with a better understanding of the world and yourself.

In a university philosophy class , I was exposed to the essays of Michel de Montainge.  He wrote these essays some 400 years ago.  Their timeless nature amazes me.  For many situations in today’s world, there is a quote from these works that is applicable:

Quotes from Michel de Montaigne Essays

Stressed?

Sense and reason control anxiety, not houses that overlook the sea.”

Closed-minded?

The beautiful souls are they that are universal, open, and ready for all things.”

Fears?

A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.”

On Marriage…

Marriage is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside equally desperate to get out.”

These essays of Michel de Montaigne should be in every book collection.

I have so enjoyed Montaigne’s thoughts and ideas that one of my goals is to read Montaigne’s essays in their original language:  French.  I have got a long way to go with that, but maybe I’ll get there someday:

It is a sign of contraction of the mind when it is content, or of weariness. A spirited mind never stops within itself; it is always aspiring and going beyond its strength.”

return to My Favorite Books…