All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
Our wisdom and deliberation for the most part follow the lead of chance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our decisions often rely on unforeseen circumstances rather than our rational thought.
This quote by Michel De Montaigne suggests that, despite our best efforts to make wise and deliberate choices, much of our decision-making is influenced by chance events and serendipity. It implies that life is unpredictable, and our rationality can sometimes take a backseat to the whims of fortune, shaping our paths in ways we may not fully control or foresee.
Themes
WisdomChanceDecision-MakingFortuneUnpredictability
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on decision-making, this quote can be used to highlight the impact of unexpected events on our choices.
More from Michel De Montaigne
All quotes βAll 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.
Michel De MontaigneRead
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.
Michel De MontaigneRead
There is not much less vexation in the government of a private family than in the managing of an entire state.
Michel De MontaigneRead
Those who have compared our life to a dream were right... we were sleeping wake, and waking sleep.
Michel De MontaigneRead
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
Similar quotes
The whole purpose of life is to gain enlightenment. _x000D_ Nothing else is significant compared to that completely natural, exalted state of consciousness. _x000D_ So always strive for that. _x000D_ Set your life around that goal. _x000D_ Don't get caught up in small things, and then it will be yours.
Maharishi Mahesh YogiRead
Your birthday is the vintage of your wine; the mark that warns you of your future.
AesopRead
The writer can grow as a person or he can shrink. ... His curiosity, his reaction to life must not diminish. The fatal thing is to shrink, to be interested in less, sympathetic to less, desiccating to the point where life itself loses its flavor, and oneβs passion for human understanding changes to weariness and distaste.
Norman MailerRead
More important than finding the teacher is finding and following the truth of the teaching.
Sogyal RinpocheRead
It is not worth an intelligent man's time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
G. H. HardyRead
At the beginning of every winter people are careful to install storm windows. These extra panes of glass protect their houses against the bitter winds. We do something very similar to protect our minds through the practice of meditation.
Eknath EaswaranRead