Michel de Montaigne

"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that very existence is an act of rebellion."

"When I play with my cat, who knows if I am not a pastime to her more than she is to me?"

"A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears."

"I quote others only in order the better to express myself."

"There is nothing so absurd but some philosopher has said it."

"To philosophize is to learn how to die."

"The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself."

"Wisdom has never made a man wish to be less himself."

"If you don't know how to die, don't worry; Nature will instruct you at the moment."

"We are not born all at once, but bit by bit."

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

"It is a hard matter to argue with the belly since it has no ears."

"No one is free who is not master of himself."

"A good marriage would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband."

"The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them."

"Man in general, if he loves you, is afraid of you."

"One should always have old friends to eat with and a young friend to run with."

"I hate and fear stupidity; it strikes me from an unexpected direction."

"Our life is composed entirely of contradictions and divergences."

"The honor of a great man is in his conscience."

"What do I know? This is the foundation of wisdom."

"I have never seen a greater monster or miracle in the world than myself."

"Cowards are cruel, but the brave love mercy and honor."

"It is my habit to pay more attention to the feelings of others than to my own."

"The most useful and honorable science and occupation is the knowledge of oneself."

"The man who has the courage of his convictions is a brave man."

"I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly."

"Love and friendship exclude each other."

"There are some defeats more triumphant than victories."

"To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act."