Authors / Michel de Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne quotes

1533–1592 · French essayist

Montaigne invented the essay — literally, an attempt — by writing about himself to understand people in general. His motto was a question: Que sais-je? What do I know?

4 real · 1 not theirs

Really theirs

4 quotes traced to Michel de Montaigne's own work or a reliable witness.

Sourced
What do I know?
Source: His motto — "Que sais-je?" — Essays, Book II, ch. 12 (1580)
Sourced
To philosophize is to learn to die.
Source: Essays, Book I, ch. 20 (1580)
Sourced
When I play with my cat, who knows if I am not a pastime to her more than she is to me?
Source: Essays, Book II, ch. 12, "Apology for Raymond Sebond" (1580)
Sourced
Every man carries the entire form of the human condition.
Source: Essays, Book III, ch. 2, "Of Repentance" (1588)

Not theirs

1 famous lines credited to Michel de Montaigne that are misquoted, unsourced or belong to someone else.

No source found
My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.

The trail: A popular compression; the idea is Montaigne-like, but this wording is not in the Essays.