All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fear of losing what one has can cause great distress, while those who have already lost may find contentment.
This quote by Michel De Montaigne emphasizes the psychological contrast between those who live in constant fear of losing their possessions and freedom and those who are already in adverse situations. It suggests that anxiety and worry about potential loss can lead to a tortured existence, while individuals who have faced hardship may adapt and find joy despite their circumstances.
Themes
FearLossHappinessContentmentWealth
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about overcoming adversity, this quote can illustrate how one's mentality shapes their experience.
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.
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
I have never seen a greater monster or miracle in the world than myself.
Michel De MontaigneRead
Similar quotes
In Quakerism, your understanding of God is revised in light of your own experience, while in research science, you revise your model in light of data from experiments.
Jocelyn Bell BurnellRead
I never think about Wall Street - why should I - but to go down there so often while filming 'Working Girl,' to become acquainted with this whole different world, and to find out what goes on behind the scenes is so interesting. There's so much of the city that you don't really bother to investigate. Ahh... New York.
Sigourney WeaverRead
I am the history of the rejection of who I am
June JordanRead
Everything that depends on the action of nature is by nature as good as it can be.
AristotleRead
The function of ritual, as I understand it, is to give form to human life, not in the way of a mere surface arrangement, but in depth.
Joseph CampbellRead
Ce que je sais de la morale, c'est au football que je le dois. (I know of morality, it is football that I owe.)
Albert CamusRead