Michel de Montaigne Quotes

I am sure of this, that by going much alone a man will get more of a noble courage in thought and word than from all the wisdom that is in books.

He that composes himself is wiser than he that composes a book.

You can't let your personal disposition be dictated by the world around you.

Seek always for the answer within. Be not influenced by those around you, by their thoughts or their words.

Cherish that which is within you, and shut off that which is without; for much knowledge is a curse.

As long as I live I will have control over my being.

Defy the crowd. The crowd isn’t always wise. It can also lead you down a path of silliness, sub-optimal choices, and downright destruction. Enchantment is as necessary for people to diverge from a crowd as it is to get people to join one.

Society, to be sure, does not like this very well; it saith, Whoso goes to walk alone, accuses the whole world; he declares all to be unfit to be his companions; it is very uncivil, nay, insulting; Society will retaliate.

Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment; Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self needs strength.

The disciplined are free.

The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within.

No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself.

The man who can articulate the movements of his inner life need no longer be a victim of himself, but is able slowly and consistently to remove the obstacles that prevent the spirit from entering.

We carry within us the wonders we seek without us.

Solitude can be used well by very few people. They who do must have a knowledge of the world to see the foolishness of it, and enough virtue to despise all the vanity.

Silence is a source of great strength.

I don't live on other people's terms.

A mind at liberty to reflect on its own observations, if it produce nothing useful to the world, seldom fails of entertainment to itself.

In the age of the individual's liquidation, the question of individuality must be raised anew.

People will always have an opinion, but you have to live life the way you want to. It's very easy to tell others what to do, but difficult to implement it on yourself.

I don't care what other people think. I don't think it matters.

Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself.

I'm at peace with myself. The main thing is not letting people dictate what I do or what I am.