All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
All general judgments are loose and imperfect
Interpretation
General judgments tend to lack precision and accuracy.
Montaigne's quote highlights the inherent flaws in making broad or sweeping generalizations about people, situations, or concepts, suggesting that such judgments fail to capture the complexities and nuances of reality. It emphasizes the importance of understanding individual circumstances rather than relying on oversimplified conclusions.
In practice
In a discussion about societal norms, this quote could illustrate the complexity of human behavior.
All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
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.
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.
There is not much less vexation in the government of a private family than in the managing of an entire state.
Those who have compared our life to a dream were right... we were sleeping wake, and waking sleep.
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.
Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you.
You're born naked, and the rest is drag! EVERYBODY is in drag. Whether you're a man or a woman. It just depends on how extreme you wanna go.
Beloved," said the Glorious One, "unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek.
So no, it's not all in the genes, but what isn't in the genes isn't in the family environment either. It can't be explained in terms of the overall personalities or the child-rearing practices of parents.
We need God, not in order to understand the why, but in order to feel and sustain the ultimate wherefore, to give a meaning to the universe.
Augustus, perhaps you’d like to share your fears with the group.” “My fears?” “Yes.” “I fear oblivion,” he said without a moment’s pause. “I fear it like the proverbial blind man who’s afraid of the dark.” “Too soon,” Isaac said, cracking a smile. “Was that insensitive?” Augustus asked. “I can be pretty blind to other people’s feelings.
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