All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
It takes so much to be a king that he exists only as such. That extraneous glare that surrounds him hides him and conceals him from us; our sight breaks and is dissipated by it being filled and arrested by this strong light.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The burdens and responsibilities of leadership can obscure a leader's true self, making them difficult to understand.
In this quote, Montaigne suggests that the role of a king, or leader, is so demanding that it creates a barrier between them and their subjects. The 'extraneous glare' represents the grandeur and authority associated with leadership, which can overshadow the leader's true nature and intentions, making it hard for people to see the individual behind the crown. This idea highlights the complexity of leadership and the way it can alienate those in power from the very people they lead.
Themes
LeadershipResponsibilityAuthorityUnderstandingPerception
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech emphasizing the challenges of leadership.
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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