All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
For all parts of the body that we see fit to expose to the wind and air are found fit to endure it: face, feet, hands, legs, shoulders, head, according as custom invites us. For if there is a part of us that is tender and that seems as though it should fear the cold, it should be the stomach, where digestion takes place; our fathers left it uncovered, and our ladies, soft and delicate as they are, sometimes go half bare down to the navel.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on human resilience and the norms surrounding exposure to the elements.
Montaigne's quote explores the relationship between human bodies and the environment, suggesting that the parts we expose to the wind are conditioned to endure it, highlighting a philosophical view on tolerance and adaptability. He contrasts this with the vulnerability of the stomach, emphasizing how societal customs shape our perceptions of strength and exposure, pointing out that both strong and delicate individuals conform to these societal norms, which challenge our assumptions about exposure and vulnerability.
Themes
ResilienceExposureCustomsVulnerabilityAdaptability
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about resilience during a public speaking event.
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.
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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.
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