Michel de Montaigne

The clearest sign of wisdom is continued cheerfulness.

He who fears he shall suffer already suffers what he fears.

There is no passion so much transports the sincerity of judgement as doth anger.

Greatness of soul consists not so much in soaring high and in pressing forward as in knowing how to adapt and limit oneself.

A man must live in the world and make the best of it such as it is.

The great and glorious masterpiece of man is to live with purpose.

I do not believe, from what I have been told about this people, that there is anything barbarous or savage about them, except that we all call barbarous anything that is contrary to our own habits.

Tis no wonder, says one of the ancients, that chance has so great a dominion over us, since it is by chance we live.

Writing does not cause misery, it is born of misery.

Speech belongs half to the speaker, half to the listener.

Confidence in others' honesty is no light testimony of one's own integrity.

Between ourselves, there are two things that I have always observed to be in singular accord: supercelestial thoughts and subterranean conduct.

We trouble our life by thoughts about death, and our death by thoughts about life.

We only labor to stuff the memory, and leave the conscience and the understanding unfurnished and void.

From books all I seek is to give myself pleasure by an honourable pastime: or if I do study, I seek only that branch of learning which deals with knowing myself and which teaches me how to live and die well...

We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure frank criticism without being stung by it, those who venture to criticize us perform a remarkable act of friendship, for to undertake to wound or offend a man for his own good is to have a healthy love for him.

If I speak of myself in different ways, that is because I look at myself in different ways.

If you don't know how to die, don't worry; Nature will tell you what to do on the spot, fully and adequately. She will do this job perfectly for you; don't bother your head about it.