Essays
First published in 1580 and subsequently expanded; an ongoing practice of self-examination.
Michel de Montaigne
Humanism · reflective scepticism
The person behind the ideas
Montaigne (1533–1592) was a French Renaissance humanist whose Essays explore judgment and experience.
Biography sources
Biography reference →At a glance
- Born
- 1533
- Died
- 1592
- Era
- French Renaissance
- Notable works
- Essays
- Tradition
- Humanism · reflective scepticism
Ideas and outlook
Montaigne used his own changing experience to examine judgment. Reading, friendship, bodily vulnerability and public life become occasions to question certainty without abandoning curiosity.
About the works
Life milestones
- 1571
Retires to his family estate and develops his writing.
- 1580
The first edition of the Essays appears.
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Other quotes across journeys
Meeting change
I do not paint its being, I paint its passage;
Essays, Book III · ch. 2, ‘Of Repentance’
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Essays, Book III, chapter 2, ‘Of Repentance’, opening paragraphs
Montaigne describes the difficulty of recording his changing self. This is an account of his essay-writing, not a demand that a reader welcome every change.
Read the source ↗The courage to wonder
I do not teach; I only relate.
Essays, Book III · ch. 2, ‘Of Repentance’
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Essays, Book III, chapter 2, ‘Of Repentance’
Montaigne describes his personal inquiry while explicitly acknowledging accepted religious beliefs. His modest formula does not mean that all judgments or evidence are equivalent.
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