Michel de Montaigne

"To govern others, one must first govern oneself."

"Love is the only thing that we carry with us when we die."

"The senses reveal to us what we need to survive; the mind reveals what we need to live."

"In order that all men may be taught to speak the truth, it is necessary that all be taught to love truth."

"A man cannot eat one type of food forever and remain healthy; variety is the spice of life."

"When a man is not sure of himself, he becomes angry."

"The mind is everything. What you think, you become."

"What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us."

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

"Man is born to run; he is in a state of flight."

"We should be much more charitable to one another, since we all stumble and fall frequently."

"The only certainty is that nothing is certain."

"I have gathered a posy of other men's flowers, and nothing but the thread that binds them is mine."

"He who fears he will suffer, already suffers from his fear."

"The condition of life is to be subject to changes."

"Custom is the greatest guide of human life."

"All things are possible to those who believe."

"To philosophize is to learn how to die."

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places."

"We are born crying, live complaining, and die disappointed."

"True friendship is a plant of slow growth."

"What do I know? This should be my motto."

"The feet of those that are in haste slip easily."

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

"Nature has made us unequal. It is vain that by education and courtesy we pretend to redress this inequality."

"The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe things because we wish them to be so."

"Man in general, if he loves you, will do anything for you; except pay your debts or lend you money."

"One should as a rule respect public opinion in its general aspect; but always despise it in its details."

"There is scarcely any less blemish in a body than want of cleanliness, nor any quality so outwardly indicative of some defect of character."

"The more we know, the less sure we are."