All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
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.
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 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.
Michel De MontaigneRead
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