All the world knows me in my book, and my book in me.
Michel De MontaigneRead
He who would teach men to die would teach them to live.
Interpretation
Understanding death helps us appreciate life more fully.
This quote implies that by confronting the reality of death, we can gain valuable insights into how to live our lives more meaningfully. It suggests that awareness of mortality can lead to a deeper appreciation of life and prompt us to live more intentionally and authentically.
In practice
During a seminar on personal growth, one might say this quote to emphasize the importance of understanding our mortality.
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.
Don't follow it blindly into every dark alley. Always remember that you are not a model or a mannequin for which the fashion is created.
"Difficulty" is the name of an ancient tool that was created purely to help us define who we are.
Heir to your own karma doesn't mean 'You get what you deserve.' I think it means 'You get what you get.' Bad things happen to good people. My happiness depending on my action means, to me, that it depends on my action of choosing compassion--for myself as well as for everyone else--rather than contention. [p.61]
Use memories. Do not let memories use you.
"My former master taught me to accept birth and death." "Then what have you come to me for?" asked the master. "To learn to accept what lies in between."
An ad hominem attack against an individual, not against an idea, is highly flattering. It indicates that the person does not have anything intelligent to say about your message.
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