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Selected Essays: Montaigne
selected montaigne classics
364 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1943
11 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Michel de Montaigne
1,555 books1,542 followersMichel Eyquem de Montaigne (1532-1592) was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance. Montaigne is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. He became famous for his effortless ability to merge serious intellectual speculation with casual anecdotes and autobiography—and his massive volume Essais (translated literally as "Attempts") contains, to this day, some of the most widely influential essays ever written. Montaigne had a direct influence on writers the world over, from William Shakespeare to René Descartes, from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Stephan Zweig, from Friedrich Nietzsche to Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He was a conservative and earnest Catholic but, as a result of his anti-dogmatic cast of mind, he is considered the father, alongside his contemporary and intimate friend Étienne de La Boétie, of the "anti-conformist" tradition in French literature.
In his own time, Montaigne was admired more as a statesman then as an author. The tendency in his essays to digress into anecdotes and personal ruminations was seen as detrimental to proper style rather than as an innovation, and his declaration that, "I am myself the matter of my book", was viewed by his contemporaries as self-indulgent. In time, however, Montaigne would be recognized as embodying, perhaps better than any other author of his time, the spirit of freely entertaining doubt which began to emerge at that time. He is most famously known for his skeptical remark, "Que sais-je?" ("What do I know?").
Remarkably modern even to readers today, Montaigne's attempt to examine the world through the lens of the only thing he can depend on implicitly—his own judgment—makes him more accessible to modern readers than any other author of the Renaissance. Much of modern literary nonfiction has found inspiration in Montaigne, and writers of all kinds continue to read him for his masterful balance of intellectual knowledge and personal storytelling.
In his own time, Montaigne was admired more as a statesman then as an author. The tendency in his essays to digress into anecdotes and personal ruminations was seen as detrimental to proper style rather than as an innovation, and his declaration that, "I am myself the matter of my book", was viewed by his contemporaries as self-indulgent. In time, however, Montaigne would be recognized as embodying, perhaps better than any other author of his time, the spirit of freely entertaining doubt which began to emerge at that time. He is most famously known for his skeptical remark, "Que sais-je?" ("What do I know?").
Remarkably modern even to readers today, Montaigne's attempt to examine the world through the lens of the only thing he can depend on implicitly—his own judgment—makes him more accessible to modern readers than any other author of the Renaissance. Much of modern literary nonfiction has found inspiration in Montaigne, and writers of all kinds continue to read him for his masterful balance of intellectual knowledge and personal storytelling.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 18, 2020
Quotes from Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) translated by Donald Frame
"Now, the more I distrust my memory, the more confused she becomes. She serves me better by chance encounter; I have to solicit her nonchalantly. For if I press her, she is stunned; and once she has begun to totter, the more I probe her, the more she gets mixed up and embarrassed. She serves me at her own time, not at mine."
"To learn that we have said or done a foolish thing, that is nothing; we must learn that we are nothing but fools, a far broader and more important lesson."
"I know of no quality so easy to counterfeit as piety, if conduct in life are not made to conform with it. It's essence is abstruse and occult; it's semblance, easy and showy."
"We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly; and because there are very few who can endure it without it biting, those who venture to undertake this for us show a remarkable act of friendship; for to undertake to wound and offend a man for his own good is to have a healthy love for him."
"For a man needs at least some degree of intelligence to be able to notice that he does not know; and we must push against a door to know that it is closed to us."
"The worst thing I find in our state is instability, and the fact that our laws cannot, any more than our clothes, take any enduring form. It is very easy to accuse a government of imperfection, for all mortal things are full of it. It is very easy to engender in a people contempt for their ancient observances; never did a man undertake that without succeeding. But as for establishing a better state in place of the one they have ruined, many of those who have attempted it achieved nothing for their pains."
"Between ourselves, these are two things that I have always observed to be in singular accord: supercelestial thoughts and subterranean conduct"
"Now, the more I distrust my memory, the more confused she becomes. She serves me better by chance encounter; I have to solicit her nonchalantly. For if I press her, she is stunned; and once she has begun to totter, the more I probe her, the more she gets mixed up and embarrassed. She serves me at her own time, not at mine."
"To learn that we have said or done a foolish thing, that is nothing; we must learn that we are nothing but fools, a far broader and more important lesson."
"I know of no quality so easy to counterfeit as piety, if conduct in life are not made to conform with it. It's essence is abstruse and occult; it's semblance, easy and showy."
"We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly; and because there are very few who can endure it without it biting, those who venture to undertake this for us show a remarkable act of friendship; for to undertake to wound and offend a man for his own good is to have a healthy love for him."
"For a man needs at least some degree of intelligence to be able to notice that he does not know; and we must push against a door to know that it is closed to us."
"The worst thing I find in our state is instability, and the fact that our laws cannot, any more than our clothes, take any enduring form. It is very easy to accuse a government of imperfection, for all mortal things are full of it. It is very easy to engender in a people contempt for their ancient observances; never did a man undertake that without succeeding. But as for establishing a better state in place of the one they have ruined, many of those who have attempted it achieved nothing for their pains."
"Between ourselves, these are two things that I have always observed to be in singular accord: supercelestial thoughts and subterranean conduct"
October 13, 2023
"We seek conditions because we do not understand our own, and go outside ourselves because we do not know what it is like inside. Yet there is no use mounting on stilts, for on stilts we must still walk on our legs. And on the loftiest throne in the world we are still sitting only on our own rear." - On Experience
When I first read Montaigne a few years ago, I kept rushing through, trying to get to "the philosophy part." A critic would say there is no philosophy here, just an old man rambling endlessly about his life, and opinions. Montaigne would agree.
Michel de Montaigne seems like an excellent dinner guest, the perfect friend to share a coffee with, or walk through the countryside with. His writing is a stroll. Its a testimony to his humility, and integration, that nearly 500 years later, his musing resonate.
When Montaigne wrote, the "new world" was still more myth than fact. Shakespeare hadn't written yet, industrialization was still centuries away. Yet his poignant understanding of his fellows, and of himself, leave me suspicious he knows more about my life then I do.
I read these essays rapidly once to figure out what Montaigne was up to. Now I read them slowly, and will go on rereading them slowly, to figure out what I'm up to.
When I first read Montaigne a few years ago, I kept rushing through, trying to get to "the philosophy part." A critic would say there is no philosophy here, just an old man rambling endlessly about his life, and opinions. Montaigne would agree.
Michel de Montaigne seems like an excellent dinner guest, the perfect friend to share a coffee with, or walk through the countryside with. His writing is a stroll. Its a testimony to his humility, and integration, that nearly 500 years later, his musing resonate.
When Montaigne wrote, the "new world" was still more myth than fact. Shakespeare hadn't written yet, industrialization was still centuries away. Yet his poignant understanding of his fellows, and of himself, leave me suspicious he knows more about my life then I do.
I read these essays rapidly once to figure out what Montaigne was up to. Now I read them slowly, and will go on rereading them slowly, to figure out what I'm up to.
December 14, 2020
Michel de Montaigne began his career as a lawyer and courtier, and in his time he was perhaps best known as a statesman who tried to calm the religious wars then being fought in France between Protestants and Catholics. Distressed by the violence and brevity of life, he stepped back from the pubic square at age 38 and retired to his chateau to read, study, think, and write. There, his primary subject was himself, that is, thinking about and understanding himself. To this end he wrote what he called essais which translate as “tests.” Here we find observations, anecdotes, judgements, insights, and wisdom.
What characterizes these essais is their utter honestly and frankness. Montaigne is brutally honest with himself about himself, and with us as readers. He shies away from nothing, and is brave enough to face what he finds in himself. He does not judge others so much as he judges himself. Even though I read only the essais in this collection, I feel I know more about the person Montaigne than I do about almost anyone I know. It’s true that some of the essais and ideas are terribly dated and may well be offensive to modern readers — after all, they were written 440 years ago. But most of them are timeless in their humanity. In some I recognize a kindred spirit, and perhaps a friend. He is observant, honest, thoughtful, insightful, and articulate; I would wish that I could be so.
Montaigne is credited with developing the subjective essay as a literary genre, and his essais had an outsized influence on French and English style and thought. Setting out to understand himself and to share what he found with his friends and family, Montaigne became an important philosopher of the French Renaissance. Wikipedia credits him with direct influence on Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, René Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Virginia Woolf, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, and Friedrich Nietzsche, among others.
For the selections in this volume, translator Donald Frame chose 14 of Montaigne’s 107 essais as representative of the whole. Of these, I most recommend Of Solitude, Of the Inconstancy of Our Actions, Of Presumption, Of Giving the Lie, and Of Vanity. These are not easy reads; they demand close attention and due consideration. But recommend them, I do. Put in the work and you will be rewarded.
What characterizes these essais is their utter honestly and frankness. Montaigne is brutally honest with himself about himself, and with us as readers. He shies away from nothing, and is brave enough to face what he finds in himself. He does not judge others so much as he judges himself. Even though I read only the essais in this collection, I feel I know more about the person Montaigne than I do about almost anyone I know. It’s true that some of the essais and ideas are terribly dated and may well be offensive to modern readers — after all, they were written 440 years ago. But most of them are timeless in their humanity. In some I recognize a kindred spirit, and perhaps a friend. He is observant, honest, thoughtful, insightful, and articulate; I would wish that I could be so.
Montaigne is credited with developing the subjective essay as a literary genre, and his essais had an outsized influence on French and English style and thought. Setting out to understand himself and to share what he found with his friends and family, Montaigne became an important philosopher of the French Renaissance. Wikipedia credits him with direct influence on Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, René Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Virginia Woolf, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, and Friedrich Nietzsche, among others.
For the selections in this volume, translator Donald Frame chose 14 of Montaigne’s 107 essais as representative of the whole. Of these, I most recommend Of Solitude, Of the Inconstancy of Our Actions, Of Presumption, Of Giving the Lie, and Of Vanity. These are not easy reads; they demand close attention and due consideration. But recommend them, I do. Put in the work and you will be rewarded.
February 2, 2016
I can't believe I found this book in my local thrift store. I had wanted to read Montaigne's essays ever since hearing they inspired Shakespeare (specifically the soliloquies in Hamlet). While I was in the middle of reading this book I read through a copy of The Tempest and in the preface that author brought up the connections the play had with one of Montaigne's essays (which is included in this book). Fun!
Truth is, a lot of great authors and philosophers read and were shaped by Montaigne. For that reason I found this a really fascinating read.
I'm counting this as "a book more than 100 years old" for the reading challenge I'm working on. #vtReadingChallenge
Truth is, a lot of great authors and philosophers read and were shaped by Montaigne. For that reason I found this a really fascinating read.
I'm counting this as "a book more than 100 years old" for the reading challenge I'm working on. #vtReadingChallenge
October 8, 2021
This was a tough read for me - think of steak cooked just a little too long. It can retain a nice flavor, but you have to chew it one too many times before you swallow. Coincidentally, rare meat is is one of the beliefs Montaigne shares in his essays.
I appreciated Montaigne’s perspective and found it almost shockingly modern for a 16th century person to be espousing. However, for each passage that engaged me, there were ten I merely forced myself through.
Maybe I’m the problem? I’m no student of philosophy so my lack of patience with this book could be due to a lack of training.
Was it worthwhile? Yes. Did M lead me to think more deeply about life and my own beliefs? Yes. Did I enjoy reading it? ….at times.
I appreciated Montaigne’s perspective and found it almost shockingly modern for a 16th century person to be espousing. However, for each passage that engaged me, there were ten I merely forced myself through.
Maybe I’m the problem? I’m no student of philosophy so my lack of patience with this book could be due to a lack of training.
Was it worthwhile? Yes. Did M lead me to think more deeply about life and my own beliefs? Yes. Did I enjoy reading it? ….at times.
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June 24, 2020"We stupidly fear one kind of death, when we have already passed and are still passing through so many others...Yesterday dies in today, and today will die in tomorrow; and there is nothing that abides and is always the same...For time is a mobile thing, which appears as in a shadow, together with matter, which is ever running and flowing, without ever remaining stable or permanent."
October 18, 2023
Every essay topic was worth pondering. The excessive use of double/triple negatives made it unnecessarily hard to comprehend at times. Or was it intentional to make the argument more worthy, as Montaigne put it in "That our desire is increased by difficulty"?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews