All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
Indeed, there is no such thing as an altogether ugly woman β or altogether beautiful.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Beauty and ugliness are subjective concepts without absolute definitions.
This quote by Michel De Montaigne suggests that our perceptions of beauty and ugliness are inherently flawed and subjective. There is no person who is entirely ugly or entirely beautiful, as these labels rely on individual opinions, cultural standards, and social contexts, emphasizing the complexity of human appearance and the relativity of aesthetic values.
Themes
BeautyUglinessSubjectivityPerceptionPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about self-esteem, this quote can highlight how perceptions of beauty are not absolute.
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.
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.
Michel De MontaigneRead
There is not much less vexation in the government of a private family than in the managing of an entire state.
Michel De MontaigneRead
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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