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There are truths on this side of the Pyrenees which are falsehoods on the other
Michel De Montaigne
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Truth can be subjective based on perspective and context.

This quote by Michel De Montaigne suggests that what is considered true can vary significantly depending on one's viewpoint or geographical location. It highlights the relativity of truth and invites us to reflect on our own beliefs and the influences that shape them, particularly in different cultures or environments, implying that understanding and open-mindedness are crucial in a diverse world.

Themes

TruthPerspectiveRelativitySubjectivityPhilosophy

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about cultural differences in beliefs.

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.
Michel De MontaigneRead

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