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Not because Socrates said so, but because it is in truth my own disposition — and perchance to some excess — I look upon all men as my compatriots, and embrace a Pole as a Frenchman, making less account of the national than of the universal and common bond.
Michel De Montaigne
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the importance of universal human connections over national identities.

Montaigne expresses a perspective that transcends national boundaries, indicating that his affinity towards all humans, regardless of their nationality, is rooted in a fundamental understanding of shared humanity. He suggests that the common bonds we share as individuals far outweigh the distinctions often emphasized by national identities. This reflects a philosophical stance that values overarching human connections over the often divisive lines drawn by nationality.

Themes

HumanityUniversalNationalityCompanionshipBrotherhood

In practice

Example use cases

During a speech about global citizenship.

More from Michel De Montaigne

All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
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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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