Book I
1. That Men by Various Ways Arrive at the Same
End
Follows how many people try to avoid their
fate
Notes nothing can stop a motivated
confronter from causing harm
Notes that those showing courage are
usually allowed to live
People with power for revenge can have us
laying at their mercy
States that pride of powerful people can
make them irritated with the courageous rising up against their power
States ego leads to the powerful trying to
break the courage of the courageous
Courage comes from meeting fear of death
2. Of
Sorrow
States sadness as hurtful idle cowardly and
mean
Anecdote of a king of Egypt taken prisoner
and watched his daughter and son die and was unmoved but cried at the death of
a friend
Anecdote of man unmoved when his older and
younger brother died but sorrowful at the death of a servant
States the strongest emotions cannot always
be expressed
The strongest love cannot be expressed
Those who express great love do not feel
great love
3. That
Our Affections Carry Themselves Beyond Us
States that people spend too much time
thinking of the future and need to live in the moment
States this is a view nature encourages
Rousseau says that fear desire and hope
make us thing of the future always
States that you have to do your own work to
know yourself
If you know yourself you will never take
another’s work as yours
One will improve oneself this way
Though we do our own when alive we cannot
talk to others when we are dead and are left with whatever legacy we created
Montaigne feels a good legacy is needed to
be happy in death
Feels that when he dies it us up to the
living to take care of his body
4. That
the Soul Expends its Passions Upon False Objects, Where the True are Wanting
States that when a soul is agitated it
needs an object to act upon or else it will turn on itself
States we like little dogs and monkeys
because there is a part of us that needs to love
Animals attack the thing that attack it
Humans always need something to blame
Notes that some blame god
5. Whether
The Governor of a Place Besieged Ought Himself to Go Out To Parley
To buy time a Roman king offered peace to
an enemy and used the lull to fortify and attack
Senate thought it cowardly and disapproved
Notes that all that matters is that the
enemy was defeated
Honor of war goes to the winner no matter
the way they won
Because of surprise attacks the leader
should not go to negotiate unless very protected
If on the verge of certain defeat it is
better to compromise
6. That
the Hour of Parley Dangerous
Anecdote of town being surprised attacked
while a peace treaty was being signed
Notes war is changing and faith cannot be
secured until peace is signed and even then one must be wary
Montaigne agrees with Chrysippus that one
needs to use all force available but not “Cheat”
Alexander refused to use darkness as cover
to not “Steal” the victory
7. That
the Intention is Judge of Our Actions
“Death discharges us of all our
obligations”
The enemy of Henry VII ran and was found by
Don Phillip who agreed to give Henry his enemy if no harm came to him
Henry instructed his son that when Henry
dies he is to kill his enemy
Montaigne feels Henrys death didn’t cancel
the agreement
A man gave advice on a situation out of his
control.
When finding out he was wrong had himself
put to death to not go back on his word
Montaigne feels this was unnecessary
because the situation was out of the man’s control
Makes note of people who leave people
things in their will because of feeling guilty of wrongdoing to said person
Montaigne sees this as meaningless since
you make no sacrifice because you are dead and don’t need those things anyway
Expresses distaste at people who reveal grudges
at death extending their hatred to the living instead of taking it with them in
death
8. Of
Idleness
States the Mind needs a study to restrain
from wandering uselessly
Notes an idle mind makes foolishness
States that a soul without a goal loses
itself
Montaigne retires to his house to avoid
distraction and allow his mind to wander
Commits his wanderings to writing to guilt
himself out of wandering
9. Of
Liars
Montaigne notes his bad memory
Notes that foolish people are said to have
no memory
When Montaigne complains of his literal
memory people think him calling himself foolish
States strong memory goes with weak
judgment
Notes his friends questioning his
friendship when he forgets things thinking he doesn’t care
Feels that by having a weakness in memory he
has avoided other weaknesses
Also that by this weakness his other
faculties are stronger
States the memory has more information than
intellect
Comments that people with strong memories
go into so much detail they ruin stories
States weak memory helps forget injuries
“he who has not a good memory should never
take upon him the trade of lying”
Untruths are things we perceive as true
Lies are things we say as true but we know
are false
Two types of liars
Some make up everything
Some twist a true story
Those who twist will find it harder to lie
because their memory knows the truth
Those who make up everything won’t have
their memory telling them the truth but the story they told can leave their
memory
Notes people who tell different stories to
different people who then discover their lie
States that only lying should be punished
in children to establish that their word is important
10. Of
Quick or Slow Speech
Notes that some people are never surprised
with speech and speak quickly and others need to think hard about what they are
going to say and talk slowly
States a preacher needs to be a slow one
because he was so much time to prepare
A lawyer needs to be fast because they have
unexpected questions and objections
States that wit is thinking promptly and
suddenly
Judgment is taking time to thing
Notes some people can only perform without
preparing only with a care free attitude
Worrying too much about success can cause
someone to hinder themselves
Montaigne always performs worse when
prepared
Noting chance helping him
11. Of
Prognostications
States fortune tellers have been losing
credibility since before Jesus
Notes that there are many people who still
use stars and body shapes and dreams to tell fortunes
Shows how people always want to know the
future
Tells of an ally to the French so terrified
by good fortune predicted for French switched side with regret
Montaigne would rather use a dice than idle
and vain dreams
Those who try to predict and eventually get
one right and say it is proof of fortune telling Montaigne sees as lucky and
liars
States he’d be more convinced that
predictions were always wrong
No one records the wrong predictions
because they are infinite
States that people good at riddles can
easily find what they want
Notes fortune tellers say things in riddles
allowing people to interpret them as they want
12. Of
Constancy
Constancy means we should do all we can to
avoid harm but face those we can’t avoid bravely
Don’t condemn action used to defend one’s
self
Notes countries using retreat in battle
Though it is bad for a soldier to leave his
post it is inevitable through acts of fear
Notes a fortune teller would see the man’s
apprehension when Montaigne sees it as impossible to predict
Though fear is natural one shouldn’t
consent and abandon reason
Says non philosophers will abandon reason
and change behavior while the philosopher will not
Moderate not dismiss mind worries
13. The
Ceremony of the Interview of Princes
States it’s rude to not be home when
someone says they are coming to visit
Montaigne says he does this because he
can’t stand to sit around and wait
Feels it would be better to offend someone
once than himself always
States everywhere has different customs
Montaigne is very educated in the customs
of his own country but doesn’t always follow them
Sees some people as rude for being over
civil
Though he doesn’t follow the rules he feels
it is important to know them because people set examples for each other that
others take notice of
14. That
Men Are Justly Punished For Being Obstinate In the Defense of a Fort That is
Not in Reason to be Defended
States bravery has limits if limits ignored
leads to stubbornness foolishness and arrogance
Punish by death those who defend places
that losing is inevitable
Strength of a fort is measure by the force
attacking it
There is danger that someone would see
themselves as too high up and attacks any opposition
15. Of
the Punishment of Cowardice
States important to differentiate between
faults from weakness and faults form being treacherous
States that many people feel that people
can’t be punished except for going against their conscience
Sees the best way to punish cowardice as
shame
Charondas made cowards spend three days in
public dressed in women’s clothing to “Awaken their courage”
Notes Julius sentencing those who fled the
battlefield to death when in a similar occasion only punished by lowering rank
Montaigne sees shameful punishment as harsh
and cold creating enemies out of the punished
Extreme cowardice can only be taken as
malice
16. A
Proceeding of Some Ambassadors
States that men prefer to talk of other
men’s duties
Caesar speaks about bridges and such but is
more quite on war duties and military conduct
Montaigne says this will never improve a
man
People need to talk of their own
capabilities
Pay attention to people for what they do
People naturally want liberty and power
Obedience should be cherished
Complete obedience has limited commands
Ambassadors have to use their discretion in
managing affairs
Notes some people punished for following
instructions too literally
17. That
We are to Avoid Pleasures, Even at the Expense of Life
It is time to die when there is more evil
than good in the world and to preserve their torture goes against the very
rules of nature
St. Hilary murdered his only daughter
because she was hypnotized by the riches of a suitor
Because his wife agreed with his actions to
the point that he also killed her too and her death was “ embraced with a
singular and mutual content”
18. That
Fortune is Oftentimes Observed to Act by the Rules of Reason
The Duke of Valentinois attempted to poison
Adrian the Cardinal of Corneto with wine that was given to the butler to keep
safe. Confident they hadn’t meddled with the poisoned wine so he also had a
glass and soon died
Anecdote of a man who had Imposthume in his
breast and wanted to die to end the pain so he entered in a battle and was so
badly wounded he was cured
A painter was frustrated with his painting
and threw a sponge at it hoping to deface it but instead made it better and it
became his style
Describes fortune as almost human like in
the way it affects others even noting that fortune judges more than humans do
outlining good and bad karma
19. Of
One Defect In Our Government
States that the world is not generally
corrupted
Notes that his father employed a man to
keep a journal for him and reflects that he wants to imitate his father
20. Of
the Custom of Wearing Clothes
People are clothed to protect themselves
from nature but we have destroyed it making them and other commodities
If we needed clothes to survive we would
have been created with thicker skin
Notes Plato’s advice not to wear anything
on the head or feet for health
Calls the King Mexico superfluous for
changing his clothes four times a day and never using the same dish twice
21. Of
Cato the Younger
States that the age he lives in is so
unintelligent that virtue is defective
Plutarch says that Cato Only died because
he feared Caesar and that Cato was actually a pattern that nature chose to show
human virtue and constancy
States that it’s easier to write poetry
than understand it
22. That
We Laugh and Cry for the Same Thing
Children laugh and cry at the same things
because of their innocence
The soul darts our its passions
imperceptibly
23. Of
Solitude
States that we should either imitate the
vicious or hate them however both are dangerous
It is not enough to physically remove
oneself from the conditions that have taken the soul but one needs to sequester
and come again to himself
“Our Disease lies in the mind which cannot
escape form itself and therefore is to be called home and confined within
itself: that is true solitude…”
Though we are naturally selfish, the death
of a loved one is feared more than the death of ourselves
24. That
the Relish of Good and Evil Depends in a Great Measure Upon the Opinion We Have
of Them
People are tormented on their opinion of
things rather than the actual things
Death pain and Poverty are considered our
principal enemies
In Narsinga the wives of priests are buried
alive with their husbands and all other wives are burned alive at their
husbands funeral and joyfully do this
Anyone who works for the King including
their wives are burnt with the King and it is considered a great honor
While Plato believes that pain and please
work together to form the soul, Montaigne states that they separate it
25. Not
to Communicate a Man’s Honour
Honor is rooted deeply within us and no one
can discharge themselves from it
No matter the argument people have little
power to resist honor because it is part of us
Personal honor extricates morals values and
feelings
26. Of
the Inequality Amongst Us
People are judged on their clothing and
other possessions rather than their bodies which are more useful to them
Hints that physically strong and capable
people must have a strong and capable soul noting that physically strong body
parts make a person worthy not their possessions
Compares kings public and private behavior
to that of actors in and out of the theatre
Attaining desirable things makes us happier
than having them
Serving external conveniences make the mind
and body disorderly
States that is easier to follow than to
lead
Notes the satisfaction of only answering to
yourself and having one path to take
27. Of
Sumptuary Laws
Notes the hypocrisy in regulating vain and
idle expenses in meat and clothes by the very people whose environment is gold
Believes in laws diverting people from
pleasures attracting men in honor and ambition to duty and obedience
28. Of
Sleep
Notes kings who fall asleep and don’t wake
up or wake up and have their lives taken
Notes physicians don’t know whether sleep
is necessary alluding to men who died from lack of sleep and another who hasn’t
slept in months
29. Of
Names
Notes a saying that it is important to have
a good name and comments on the convenience of having an easy to pronounce name
that is easy to remember
States Socrates saying its worth a fathers
time to find good names for his children
Praises Jacques Amyot for being able to
pronounce Latin names properly with no French twist
30. Of
War Horses or Destriers
Claims the sword is more promising in
battle than a gun because there is too much to keep track of for just one shot
with a gun whereas the sword can strike truer from a man’s arm than relying on
the air to direct the blow
A well trained horse can be a huge help in
battle distinguishing the enemy and not falling on its back
Notes the importance of serving their
masters riding them
Draws a connection between war horses and
lovers
31. Of
Ancient Customs
Notes how people mock old customs and ways
when the next generation will do the same to them
Criticizes people for basing their actions
by authorities rather than making their own judgments
32. Of
the Vanity of Words
Aristo defines rhetoric as “A science to
persuade people” while Plato and Socrates see it as a vehicle for flattery and
deception
33. Of a
Saying of Caesar
Notes humans endless thirst for new
commodities
Comments that once people attain something
they want something else new
34. Of
Vain Subtleties
States that stupidity and wisdom are the
same when it comes to sentiment and resolution with human accidents
35. On
Prayer
Follows the Catholic Church on
Philosophical standpoint rather than theological
By submitting himself to god feels he
submits his judgments writings and thoughts
Finds that prayers should not be casual
deserving recognition as gods words done rigorously not just on special
occasions
Questions Catholic followers for turning to
prayer on every problem instead of considering if it worthy of god
Describes the work of god as justice and
that he helps based on criteria not because someone prayed for it a lot
Notes that a soul must be pure to gain the
lords support
Sees those who pray out of habit are evil
doers noting that people demanding the help of God when they aren’t worthy will
fall again
Finds people seeing religion as amusement
States that religious stories should evoke
emotion not just told for the sake of telling
States that religious stories shouldn’t be
translated because it’s forbidden
Finds using the name of God as an
interjection as wrong because it deflects from the real power of the name of
God
Notes people pray forgiveness when they
hope to not be punished which he sees as a sin
36. On
the Length of Life
Comments on the Balance of Life and Death
and the definition of a fulfilled life
Finds death from old age as the best way to
die finding old age as a source of fulfillment with the ability to outlive
events of one’s life
Notes the ability of old age to make one
wise and reminisce on life
Finds the real meaning of life as to live
happily
States life shouldn’t be a race
No one is too young to make a difference
but need to be wise enough to know how
Life isn’t about surpassing others but
rather to surpass yourself to improve yourself
Notes that it can be the soul or the body
that surrender to age first
Comments that we don’t realize our power in
life until it is too late
States people get too caught up in
materialistic things losing sight of what matters
States we need to spend more time living
rather than relaxing or working
Notes the importance of the balance of work
and play
States that in old age we must pass down
our knowledge and wisdom to the next generation to help them grow and learn
Book II
1. On
the Inconstancy of Our Actions
Notes divisions amongst people hoping for
world peace one day with the world being so full of injustice
Claims it is unfair to judge someone on
their past because everyone makes mistakes
Notes that we need to learn from them
States we need to judge people for their
whole being over allowing one misdeed to outweigh all the good
Notes that people with a certain
characteristic will always act on this characteristic not just emulating said
characteristic occasionally
Character is defined through actions
2. On
Drunkenness
Misdeeds are all the same in that they are
misdeeds however the severity is what separates them
Montaigne considers drunkenness a severe
sin because it is the worst state of a man to have no control of himself and
causes the release of intimate secrets all of which reveals our darker side
Pleasure based on drunkenness leads to
depression and despair via drunkenness
Drinking teaches the mind and body its
limits of control
Wisdom is the ability to control and handle
one’s soul
Drinking should be enjoyed in small
quantities but not abused
3. A
Custom of the Isle of Cea
Anecdote of a man who commits suicide to
avoid slavery
Notes suicide can be provoked by anything
including hope
Notes people can be blinded by religion and
unable to connect with common sense
States we need to do what is necessary to
move forward rather than stay with the bible
4. Work
Can Wait Till Tomorrow
Though life needs to have work in it, there
also needs to be a degree of enjoyment and pleasure while maintaining income
5. On
Conscience
Both a gift and curse it can make us
evaluate things from different angles often giving us doubt and guilt
Anecdote of a man getting his stomach cut
open for being accused of stealing food, if he was wrongly accused the accuser
would have to live with the guilt of killing a man innocently
6. On
Practice
Questions Socrates view of living life
after death rather than living the one you are in as Montaigne believes
Notes our actions reflect what type of
person we are
States that no one can accuse you of living
incorrectly
7. On
Rewards for Honor
Reward and recognition is important for
those that earn it
States people can’t overlook the good
others have done
Injustices in reward such as deserving
people overlooked
War official receiving reward rather than
soldier who fought
8. On
the Affection of Fathers for Their Children
Notes arguments with his mother over
financials and inheritance
Notes ability for boys to take over a
family and its’ money
To love kids we need to enrich them and
help make them better not love them inappropriately
Montaigne believes you are responsible for the
wellbeing of your children even when they are adults
States parents that are in love with their
own children is revolting
9. On
the Armour of the Parthians
Though armor can be a burden it can still
be beneficial
Describes French knight’s armor with its flexibility
to breathe
10. On
Books
Books open us to endless knowledge and
truth however ignorance can over shadow said truth
Open mindedness can be one of the best
qualities someone can have
Montaigne uses books to learn and grow his
being
Strives to understand all passages and
unfamiliar sections and master meanings
Illustrates the meaning of learning
Finds Plutarch and Seneca relatable
11. On
Cruelty
Achieving virtue isn’t easy
To gain anything one must encounter
difficulties
It is the difficulties that teach us virtue
Montaigne suggests that virtues cannot be
taught but that we are born with them
However some are acquired over time with
experiences
Notes that animals feel pain and emotion
and states we must be kind to them with respect
Arguing cruelty stretches into animal
cruelty
12. The
Apology of Raymond Sebond
Montaigne explains his father liked
education and valued it greatly
Objects that Sebond doesn’t show
Christianity having any superiority with other pagan religions
States attempts to support Christianity
rationally doesn’t work since it is based on faith
The entire essay argues the weakness of
human reason and inability to see the truth
Immoral behavior of humans shows that faith
cannot rise above itself
It must be accompanied with reasoning to
help humanity learn and to aid with the grace of God (http://www.enotes.com/topics/apology-raymond-sebond)
This essay gets very difficult to
understand and online aids aren’t cheap
Bodies cant reached bigger heights without
divine inspiration
13. On
Judging Someone Else’s Death
Death is very noteworthy in life but is
hard to cope with in the final moment
The more self important we see ourselves
the harder it is to cope and hard to picture the world without ourselves
Death would be prolonged by Emperors via
torture
Suicides aren’t always followed through and
may need to be aided by someone else
It can be considered strange to not fear
death
14. How
Our Mind Tangles Itself Up
If forced to choose between food and drink
we would die of both hunger and thirst
15. That
Difficulty Increases Desire
The struggle to attain things increases the
value we have for them
States one should overcome things in their
way to pursue what we want
Beauty is achieved by facing difficulties
People yearn to do things that are
forbidden there is no charm when allowed to do things
People like being bad
Defense attracts offense open doors protect
themselves
People enjoy the challenge
16. On
Glory
Though glory can be won it isn’t always earned
There is no worth in Glory when no one is
looking
This is because someone has to bring back
news of your triumph
Glory doesn’t bring honor, good deeds does
People don’t always follow the right path
because it’s right, but because experience has taught them it usually leads to
happiness and is useful
People are usually more concerned with
being known rather than what they are known for reflecting that people just
like attention
Only survivors get glory those who die in
war tend to be forgotten
Speech and thought can distinguish the good
and bad
17. On
Presumption
People over estimate their worth with high
opinions of themselves
Greeting people without regarding their
status takes away meaning
Some people get pleasure from their own
writing
Montaigne states that when he reads what he
has written he is often ashamed and judges his writing and often wants to erase
it
Notes men are judged on their height and
are treated like a woman if not tall
Neither face nor hair makes him beautiful
solely judged on height
Notes that some men gamble all their money
once they’ve earned it
Pretending and lying is wicked
Notes that people need to tell their ideas
before they forget them
Being modest and not giving yourself much
worth people can’t but you down any lower than you have already put yourself
Though many people see themselves as great,
those who don’t are never displeased with themselves
18. On
Giving the Lie
Montaigne is proud to be honest when he
sees many people lying to each other’s faces
19. On
Freedom of Conscience
Notes that the Christian ruler did good
things by lowering taxes and therefore honored his religion
When a king couldn't accomplish what he
wished he pretended to do what he could
20. On
Thumbs
Anecdote of barbarians making treaties by
pushing their right thumbs together pricking them and sucking each other’s
blood
Notes that doctors see the thumb as the
master finger
Notes that in Rome it is a sign of approval
to put a thumb down and is disapproval to stick it up
Notes that Romans didn't have to serve in
the army if their thumb was hurt because they couldn’t hold a weapon
Augustus took away the property of a man
who cut his son thumb off so he wouldn’t have to serve in the army
Cauis the fifth cut off his left thumb for
the same reason and was imprisoned
Notes Generarls cutting thumbs off of
defeated armies
Athenians cut of Aeginian thumbs to
establish naval superiority
Schoolmaster punished by biting thumbs
21. On
Cowardice, the Mother of cruelty
Notes that the worst people have womanlike
weakness
Notes crying as a weakness
Comments of the loss of courage bravery and
honor when there is an open target in battle
Considers it cowardly to murder someone
Claims cowardice is the reason for
arguments ending in death and killing
Notes revenge needs to be felt by both
sides so one can enjoy it and the other can learn however they can’t learn if
they die
Notes the different views on fencing with
it being seeing as an art and craft
Expresses displeasure at gentlemen acting
as soldiers
Notes the cowardice in killing those that
can do harm to you
Expresses displeasure towards torture
22. There
is a Season for Everything
Notes that wise men even set limits for
good things
Notes how it is human nature to crave youth
Comments that people always want to learn
and start over
Montaigne enjoys closure in his life not
continuing anything for more than a year starting new and saying goodbye to the
old
States that old age secures his worries
about life
Study things so that when you are ready to
die you can leave satisfied with your knowledge
Cato killed himself to stop wondering if
anyone is ready to die even while they’re still learning
23. On
Virtue
States that we can do anything
With ideas planted in our minds and someone
is determined anything can happen
Anecdote of a man cutting of body parts
because his wife was annoying
Another man cut off his penis because he
was failing at a relationship
Anecdote of a woman jumping off a bridge
because she gossiped
States in India it is honorable to kill
yourself if you’re the most loved wife
Notes that people see things because they
happen and things don’t happen because we see them
Claims we don’t have the power to change
our fate
Anecdote of two assassins with one getting
caught it was his fate
24. On a Monster Child
Monsters are a sign of Gods will
Anecdote of conjoined twins with one’s head
inside the stomach of the other with the whole body sticking out
Metaphor that all the limbs work under one
head like one king keeping the state under control
Claims that monsters are a demonstration of
the infinite possibilities of god’s creation
Notes that no one wonders where usual
things come from but see abnormalities as signs
Notes that people see abnormalities as
going against nature but nothing can really be “against nature”
25. On
Anger
Upset with beating and scolding children
because they are the future of the state
Notes that anger can make people act out of
their nature
Claims punishments out of anger are unfair
Notes that people don’t always take their
own advice
States the anger isn’t always visible
Notes that people get angry unreasonably
and try to rationalize it when they are actually wrong
Claims women only get mad to make men angry
Notes that keeping feelings on the inside
they build up
States that when someone is mad you can’t
stop it but need to be polite and accept it
26. In
defense of Seneca and Plutarch
Seneca is a philosopher with many people
having various opinions on his work
Montaigne claims Dion the historian has the
wrong opinion
Plutarch is a biographer and writer
Anecdotes noting why bad things happen to
people with a common point being endurance obstinate resistance and
stubbornness
States not to judge what’s possible by what
you find credible
Montaigne defends Plutarch’s comparison of
Romans and Greeks
Bodin states generally that Greeks are
favored
Montaigne notes that Bodin isn’t seeing the
bigger picture
27. The
Tale of Spurina
There are two appetites those of the mind
and soul and those of the body
Speaks highly of Caesar noting his many
lovers, ambitious orator and writer and notes that most people were on his side
Notes Caesar was too ambitious allowing
himself to be worshipped and overthrowing the states
Spurina was made so beautifully that he
slashed his own face to stop loathing himself
Notes good intentions with actions lacking
wisdom
States moderation was a good virtue
28. Observation
on Julius Caesar’s Methods of Waging War
States Caesar’s style as incomparable
Tells of Caesar telling his troops that the
enemy was strong because it’s better to find them weaker than expected than
stronger than expected
Told his men to only do as they’re told
Caesar seized opportunities and acted with
speed
Gave some reward to men good looking armor
built confidence
Eloquent in speech
Liked to win through strategy than sheer
might
Confident and bold
With Time he became more deliberate
Notes the impulsiveness of some actions
Granted life to captured soldiers but when
his soldiers were captured they’d rather kill themselves
29. On
Three Good Wives
States fathers don’t show love to their
sons to be respected and honored
Claims women do the same to their husbands
Montaigne claims is better to laugh with
her husband
Anecdote of a low class women tying herself
to her husband and jumping in the ocean to end his pain which caused her pain
Rich Woman’s husband sentenced to death
family prevented her from suicide
When husband returned he was to kill
himself she stabbed herself first showing it was easy then he killed himself
Montaigne sees this as shameful because his
wife died first and he had to learn a lesson
Seneca was sentenced to death by Nero and
was welcoming death with joy knowing what he has left behind
His wife wanted to die with him but Nero
saved her for his reputation and she lost a symbolic life
30. On
the Most Excellent of Men
Montaigne puts three men above all other men
Homer because he created lasting gods and
was Virgil’s teacher with no other poets comparing, many famous people use
Homer’s works
Alexander the Great had accomplished so
much by 33 claiming to have gotten his virtues from nature admitting he was
lucky
Epaminondas is Montaigne’s favorite because
of his wisdom and reason noting how he spoke sparingly but was still wise and
had high morals
31. On
the Resemblance of Children to Their Fathers
Notes how extraordinary it is that sperm
passes both physical and psychological traits
Ponders how he has a kidney stone like his
father
Notes how medicine builds upon itself
States good health is needed for pleasure
in life
Notes his ancestors refusing medicine
claiming to not like it either giving examples of medicine free healthy people
Claims medicine for every ailment is bad
comparing it to sorcery
Finds Doctors more concerned with their
reputation than doing good in the world wishing they’d specialize
Criticizes Doctors advice claiming there is
always counter arguments
Switches to saying he is only against
Doctors art not doctors themselves
Calls a doctor to see him
Understands the argument for medicine
Notes their aren’t two identical opinions
in the world
Book III
1. On
the Useful and Honourable
Montaigne defines useful “what is
profitable to a man to his country and every sort of public and private
interest.”
Refers to the aggression of Rome to
exemplify “what was useful for what was honourable”
Though some things possess qualities such
as a jealousy and superstition everything in nature has a purpose rendering
nothing useless.
Montaigne calls himself weak for not being
able to sacrifice his life as a soldier does for his country
Authority should use its power for justice
and not abuse it
When a Roman was forced to punish someone
by the emperor that wasn’t legal, they were being useful but not honourable
A pretender is someone who claims or
aspires to a title or position
Ignominy is public shame or disgrace
Tells of an inferior betraying its
authority and its consequences with an anecdote of a runaway slave being hung
by his master
“The master flogs the pupil because he was
willing to learn, and the guide flogs the blind man.”
“We wrongfully adduce the honour and beauty
of an activity from its usefulness…”
2. On
Repenting
“Repenting consists not in regret but in
denying the rightness of what one had formerly willed.”
Repent: feel or express sincere regret or
remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin
Only Repent in the presence of God
This symbolizes the world as a cycle
between instability and stability
Shows how people change from both epiphany
and gaining attributes
“I rarely repent and that my conscience is
happy with itself not as the conscience of an angel… of a man”
No one is perfect
Only oneself can decide whether you are
good or evil, others cannot give a true testament because they don’t know true
character only what one puts outside
Compares Alexander the Great and Socrates
characterizing one as a man of strength and one as poetic expression stating
that neither can replace the other
Demonstrates the importance of breaking
away from parents and being one’s own person and finding their own expression
Anecdote to a story of a thief who chose
crime to escape poverty, when he is old he swears to compensate victims but
does not repent since he would chose wealth over poverty any day.
Repenting is not condemning yourself but
rather being in harmony with yourself.
3. On
three kinds of social intercourse
Friendships, relationships with women, and
reading books
They all embrace the whole man
People need to adapt to change showing more
flexibility.
It is hard to find exceptional friendships
and they should be sought out
Discussion is the key to intimate
friendships no matter the depth of the conversation
Love comes in the forms of pleasure or
relationships intimate pleasure isn’t necessarily bad but love can be dangerous
Montaigne got syphilis from a prostitute
Presence of books should comfort people;
you don’t have read it to understand its pleasures
Montaigne would spend time in his library
overlooking his backyard and garden with a book in his hands
Metaphor that humans can choose good books
but not the “right” ones
Meaning that people are tempted to take the
wrong path when given choices
4. On
Diversion
Montaigne defines diversion as an instance
of turning something aside from its course
Pain can’t be cured easily but it can be
diverted making it easier to deal with and people search for diversion to ease
their pains
Diversion for personal gain:
Allusion to mythology with Hippomenes
winning a foot race against a beautiful woman Atalanta in order to marry her by
dropping a golden apple as a diversion that was given to him by the goddess of
amorous passion.
Diversion for acceptance:
Socrates accepted his death as normal and
diverted himself from the fear of death.
5. On
Some Lines by Virgil
During the Renaissance there was lots of
concern over marriage and human sexuality
Going against the trends and beliefs of the
time Montaigne had affairs with “young and unmarried man and married ladies”
Montaigne feats being weighted down with
excess wisdom
He however contradicts himself by saying
that deeper knowledge is important
Montaigne expresses his sadness of growing
old with sentimentality and says old age shouldn’t stop creative imagination
claiming to still be young at heart
A malady is a disease of Ailment
Stresses the importance of self-content
Expresses how poetry is a beautiful form of
expression
Montaigne agrees with arranged marriage
claiming that marriage is a fellowship that doesn’t have to include love
because it is an investment for a foundation for the future
A woman should watch her husband like a
traitor but serve him like a master
Supportive of womens rights shows how women
of different cultures behave towards men
States that women can be just as damaging
as men
Wild animals are compared to women because
they both have a greedy nature
Enjoys traveling to avoid pre- judgments
States mankind as cruel for manipulating
nature to accommodations
A passion for love drives him to live
Stresses the importance of the mutual
benefit of relationships in love claiming women often see the relationship only
in their minds
6. On
Coaches
Links luxury, generosity, and magnificence
to cruelty, vulgarity, greed, and ostentation
Coaches represent status
Authors need to be original and ingenious
in their writing
Tells how people follow customs blindly and
states humans need to understand them before following
Writing needs to blend art and nature and
need to write with experience not just for the sake of argument
Humans are more afraid to stand up for
themselves than to deal with issues
Personifies fear, nature, and courage
Alludes to Mark Anthony, Heliogabalus,
Theophrastus and Aristotle to demonstrate people’s lacking confidence in
Monarchs and that totalitarian rule reflects personal interests of authority
rather than interests of the people
People need to be well rounded rather than
over focus in one area
Stresses the difference in taking and
giving
Shows that in the beauty of architecture
and elaborate wealth of the king great events make the people feel the wealth
is being shared
Montaigne tells how knowledge isn’t being
transferred from generation to generation
Suggests that memories don’t contain all
information absorbed at the time
Compares European and Indian lifestyles
Some would rather commit suicide than be
taken over by another power
Talks of the fortunes of death
Condemns religious ideas forced upon South
Americans by Conquistadors
Tells of the greed of Spain with the
conquering of South American and Central American regions
Coaches symbolize the opportunity to flee
or pursue
7. On
High Rank as a Disadvantage
Shows that there are flaws in everything
Montaigne states that the young have a lot
to learn in nature and from others
Montaigne claims to be content with his
social status not wanting to move up
Does note however that people want to fit
in
Notes his contradictions
Wealth isn’t about money but rather
happiness
Because people have private interests in
almost everything it is hard to give unbiased judgments
Talks on the problems of higher classes
with disloyalty, blasphemy, cruelty… etc
8. On
the Art of Conversation
“We do not improve the man we hang: we
improve others by him.”
This demonstrates the belief that punishment
sets an example for people to avoid
The most important thing for the mind is
conversation
“The wise have more to learn from the fools
than the fools from the wise.”
More intelligent people learn more
effectively
Failure helps people learn and improve more
than success
Healthy competition can drive people
forward to improve
Talks about judgment and how people can be
perceived in conversation calling others rude for judging however he claims
people can be stupid when they talk
Dislikes unorderly conversation contradicts
himself with unorganized “stream of conscience” writing in which he often
digresses
Status is perceived from intelligence in a
conversation making it better to remain silent than speak and say something
unintelligent
Erudition is the quality of having or
showing great knowledge
Montaigne expresses his desire show his
prominence in conversation vanquishing his enemies
Escutcheon is a small shield
Poking fun at others reflects more poorly
upon yourself than the one you are poking fun at
Learn from experiences in nature
With minds always thinking and emotions
always flowing it can be difficult to determine what others are thinking
Montaigne refuses to make himself appear
stupid before people who are more intelligent but will still respect their
status
Notes how people say derogatory things when
joking that would not be appropriate in a more serious context
9. On
Vanity
Notes the circuitous nature of many
writings claiming that there are “So many words about nothing but words”
Montaigne notes that in times of hardship
people crave affection and become self-centered
Montaigne finds himself more thankful to
god in good times rather than misfortune
Notes that though many people think kings
bring good weather he believes it is god
Notes that fools cannot get free handouts
because they won’t learn
People need to make something of themselves
by themselves
If you let many small problems pile up, it
can be worse than one big problem
There will always be someone better than
you at something
Montaigne notes the ridiculousness of
having only logic or only knowledge claiming that they are essential to each
other
Montaigne trusts young people more because
they have been less corrupted and are more open minded
Many people find justification in wrong
doing because of accusations thrown upon them
“Slavery is the obedience of a weak and
despondent mine lacking in will”
Notes his distaste for public scolding of
servants preferring it to be private
Notes that everyone wants to fit into the
common opinion
Claims that he doesn’t however
Strong customs may work at home however
when going abroad it is important to be mindful of other customs
People don’t want to change within a
society they want the society to change
Notes that if the entirety of a population
experiences a downfall than no one really fell because everything is in
perspective
Montaigne feels that he should wait until
he has finished his thought before fixing any mistakes
Also feels that revising the essays would
be impractical since he would make so many changes that people would have to
buy a whole new book
One should never be obligated to give more
trust than is received
When someone is given a job this person
needs to want to do this job for it to be done well
Montaigne’s most cherished characteristics
are idleness and frankness
States the we are the only one that give
people the power to judge us
States that to be wise is to be vane
Montaigne states that he will do as he
pleases following his own morals not morals laid out by God
Condemns the fact that people take things
for granted and don’t take responsibility for their actions
Notes that the sights of past wonders and
ruins are viewed more than the ancient texts that should be held to a higher
value
10. On
Restraining Your Will
Defines will as the mental faculty by which
one deliberately chooses or decides action
For people to restrain their will they need
to make a conscience decision against their nature
Montaigne uses reason and reflection to
control his life
States people only argue for the sake of
argument and get pulled into tasks to simply stay busy
People can’t sit still some people’s will
is to start a fight
States that people that don’t live for
themselves will never truly be happy without this friendship with himself along
with other people
States that the less passionate someone is
towards something the more successful they are at it
Once people start their emotions flowing
they don’t stop
11. On
the Lame
Uses “lame” to mean “disabled”
Notes that he lets his mind wonder to
ponder various things allowing him to reason with human nature
Notes that human nature questions even the
most reputable fact because people relaying the information may not be credible
Noting that “hear-say” can bend and twist
the true story
States it is easier for people to believe
things they don’t understand such as witchcraft
Notes that he got the most pleasure from a
“lame” woman noting that “the lame man does best” which applies to both men and
woman
12. On
Physiognomy
Physiognomy is the art of judging character
from facial features
States that people don’t know how to
control their desires for commodities
Plato says that the worst form of unjustice
is unjust things pretending to be just
Montaigne finds that nothing is more unjust
than wickedness in law
States bad situations don’t change without
the intervention of justice
Claims true freedom is only attained when
completely free of restraints with complete control over oneself
Notes that the potential for hardship and
suffering can cause suffering
Thinking about suffering makes you suffer
Notes that physical appearance has a
resounding impact on what people think of you
States that physical appearance doesn’t
always reflect the soul
Socrates was ugly but had a beautiful soul
13. Of
Experience
States the desire for knowledge as natural
Says one must rely on experience when
reason fails
Allusion of Delphi deciding which egg goes
to which hen
Commenting that experience brings the
ability to recognize differences
Notes that similarities don’t make people
the same just as differences don’t make people strange
Finds Simplicity and nature better than
complexity
States lawyers as examples of bad laws
Introduces a concept of the highest
achieving man is one step better than the man before him
States continual learning is key to power
People disobey French laws because they are
vague
States that people have to learn about
themselves to learn about other things
States to be blunt and take criticism
If you understand yourself you don’t need a
doctor because you know what helps you
Learn to deal with suffering
Describes pain of his illness but tries to
hide his pain
States we are born to die
Montaigne’s father taught him the values of
the poor
Was a picky and strange boy
Learned to help everyone no matter class
Joins dinner parties late to avoid overeating
States those who haven’t experienced death
can’t appreciate life
Advocates temperance but refers to his
drinking
Alludes to Socrates respect because he was
brave restrained and daring
States that people need to keep learning
forever
Montaigne wants to die knowing he has done
right in his life in order to die satisfied
No comments:
Post a Comment