All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
I speak to the paper, as I speak to the first person I meet.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the idea of writing as a personal dialogue, treating the paper as a confidant.
Michel De Montaigne illustrates the intimate relationship between the writer and their writing medium, suggesting that the act of writing is akin to conversing with another individual. This perspective highlights the personal and reflective nature of writing, where thoughts and feelings are articulated as if shared with a trusted friend, proving that written expression can serve as a form of self-discovery and communication.
Themes
WritingExpressionDialogueCommunicationIntrospection
In practice
Example use cases
A writer sharing their thoughts in a workshop.
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.
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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.
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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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If you don't understand how something works, never mind: just give up and say God did it. You don't know how the nerve impulse works? Good! You don't understand how memories are laid down in the brain? Excellent! Is photosynthesis a bafflingly complex process? Wonderful! Please don't go to work on the problem, just give up, and appeal to God.
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Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to God alone.
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