All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
The only thing certain is nothing is certain.
Interpretation
This quote expresses the idea that uncertainty is a fundamental aspect of life.
Michel De Montaigne's quote highlights the nature of reality, suggesting that absolute certainty is an illusion. In our constantly changing world, the only true certainty we can rely on is the existence of uncertainty itself, prompting us to embrace flexibility and adaptability in our thoughts and actions.
In practice
In a discussion about risk management, this quote can emphasize the importance of preparing for the unexpected.
All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
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.
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.
There is not much less vexation in the government of a private family than in the managing of an entire state.
Those who have compared our life to a dream were right... we were sleeping wake, and waking sleep.
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.
Life and death live and die in exactly the same spot, the body. It is from there that both babies and cancers are born.
Selfishness is not living your life as you wish to live it. Selfishness is wanting others to live their lives as you wish them to.
It's something you're born with, and you realize that you're trapped in the wrong body. It's not like one day you're like, 'I want to be transgender!'
We shouldn't live as if [other worlds] mattered more than this life in this world, because where we are is always the most important place.
Integrity doesn't come in degrees: low, medium, or high. You either have integrity or you don't.
When explorers first encountered my people, they called us heathens, sun worshippers. They didn't understand that the sun is a relative and illuminates our path on this earth.
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