All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
Covetousness is both the beginning and the end of the devil's alphabet - the first vice in corrupt nature that moves, and the last which dies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Covetousness, or excessive desire for what others have, is a fundamental flaw in human nature that persists throughout life.
In this quote, Michel De Montaigne highlights covetousness as a primary and persistent vice that corrupts human nature. He suggests that it is not only the initial sin that leads individuals astray but also the last vice that remains until the end, illustrating its deep-rooted presence in human behavior and moral decay.
Themes
CovetousnessDesireViceCorruptionHuman Nature
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on morality, one might use this quote to illustrate the dangers of envy.
More from Michel De Montaigne
All quotes βAll I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed.
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Pythagoras used to say that life resembles the Olympic Games: a few people strain their muscles to carry off a prize; others bring trinkets to sell to the crowd for gain; and some there are, and not the worst, who seek no other profit than to look at the show and see how and why everything is done; spectators of the life of other people in order to judge and regulate their own.
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There is not much less vexation in the government of a private family than in the managing of an entire state.
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Those who have compared our life to a dream were right... we were sleeping wake, and waking sleep.
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Such as are in immediate fear of a losing their estates, of banishment, or of slavery, live in perpetual anguish, and lose all appetite and repose; whereas such as are actually poor, slaves, or exiles, ofttimes live as merrily as other folk.
Michel De MontaigneRead
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