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The philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty called Montaigne a writer who put “a consciousness astonished at itself at the core of human existence.”

— Sarah Bakewell How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010)

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More quotes by Sarah Bakewell

From now on, Montaigne would live for himself rather than for duty.

How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010)

Learning should be a pleasure, and children should grow up to imagine wisdom with a smiling face, not a fierce and terrifying one.

How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010)

As Seneca put it, life does not pause to remind you that it is running out. The only one who can keep you mindful of this is you.

How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010)

The hedonistic approach to education did make a difference to him [Montaigne]. Having been guided early in life by his own curiosity alone, he grew up to be an independent-minded adult, following his own path in everything rather than deferring to duty and discipline.

How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010)

Seneca, in advising retirement, had also warned of dangers. In a dialogue called “On Tranquility of Mind,” he wrote that idleness and isolation could bring to the fore all the consequences of having lived life in the wrong way, consequence that people usually avoided by keeping busy—that is, by continuing to live life in the wrong way.

How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Sarah Bakewell (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.