All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
It is a disaster that wisdom forbids you to be satisfied with yourself and always sends you away dissatisfied and fearful, whereas stubbornness and foolhardiness fill their hosts with joy and assurance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wisdom often leads to self-dissatisfaction, while ignorance can bring false confidence.
In this quote, Montaigne reflects on the paradox of wisdom where the pursuit of self-improvement leads to a sense of dissatisfaction. He highlights that true wisdom instills humility and awareness of one's limitations, making one feel unfulfilled, contrasting with the unthinking confidence that comes from stubbornness and ignorance, which can provide a false sense of joy and assurance.
Themes
WisdomDissatisfactionConfidenceIgnoranceHumility
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used to encourage students to embrace the challenges of learning rather than seeking comfort in ignorance.
More from Michel De Montaigne
All quotes →All 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.
Michel De MontaigneRead
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.
Michel De MontaigneRead
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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