Michel de Montaigne Quotes

What is outside yourself does not convey much worth; Clothes do not make the man, the saddle not the horse.

It is not what you have on you, but what you have in you.

One's true worth as a human being is not a matter of outward appearance or title, but derives rather from the breadth of one's spirit. Everything comes down to faith and conviction. It is what is in one's heart, and the substance of one's actions that count.

It's not what a man has but what a man is that's important.

Prize not thyself by what thou hast, but by what thou art; he that values a jewel by her golden frame, or a book by her silver clasps, or a man by his vast estate, errs; if thou art not worth more than the world can make thee, thy Redeemer had a bad pennyworth, or thou an uncurious Redeemer.

A man who examines the saddle and bridle and not the animal itself when he is out to buy a horse is a fool; similarly, only an absolute fool values a man according to his clothes, or according to his position, which after all is only something we wear like clothing.

A painting means as much to you as a string of pearls to an ape.

Because beauty isn't enough, there must be something more.

I meet so many pretty girls who are like, 'Here I am! Don't you want me because I look good?' That concept is so weird to me. I want to know, 'What else do you have going on?'

My whole outlook on life is, never judge a book by its cover.

You don't buy a Picasso because you love the frame.

Beauty isn't worth thinking about; what's important is your mind. You don't want a fifty-dollar haircut on a fifty-cent head. ~Garrison Keillor

Consumerism, what kind of car you have, what kind of house you have in the country and so on, and that is all very incidental when you examine the kind of person he may be. He may be a big bore, and then there is a person who hasn't done a thing in the world and he is a fascinating person.

They dont understand what real treasure is. They see it in gold and copper, and tin. They see in herds of horses or cattle. They gather treasures to themselves, building great storehouses, which they guard ferociously. Then they die. What good is it then?

A fine horse or a beautiful woman, I cannot look at them unmoved, even now when seventy winters have chilled my blood.

A person becomes great not be sitting on some high seat, but through higher qualities. Can a crow become an eagle by simply sitting on the top of a palatial building?

If a gem falls into mud it is still valuable. If dust ascends to heaven, it remains valueless.

You're so beautiful But that's not why I love you And I'm not sure you know That the reason I love you, is you Being you, just you Yea the reason I love you Is all that we've been through And that's why I love you

Pride works _from within_; it is the direct appreciation of oneself. Vanity is the desire to arrive at this appreciation indirectly, from without.

While she is lovely, we need to remember that her face is not what distinguishes her. Her beauty is a reflection of the virtue and talent she keeps inside.

Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow; The rest is all but leather and prunello.

Time and experience have taught me that fame and money very rarely go to the worthy, by the way - hence we shouldn't ever be too impressed by either of those impostors. Value folk for who they are, how they live and what they give - that's a much better benchmark.

Unless you can surround yourself with as many beautiful things as you can afford, I don't think life has very much meaning.

If men are to respect each other for what they are, they must cease to respect each other for what they own.

One's real worth is never a quantifiable thing.