Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl ekɛm də mɔ̃tɛɲ]) (February 28, 1533–September 13, 1592) was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance. Montaigne is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. He became famous for his effortless ability to merge serious intellectual speculation with casual anecdotes and autobiography — and his massive volume Essais (translated literally as "Attempts") contains, to this day, some of the most widely influential essays ever written. Montaigne had a direct influence on writers the world over, including Blaise Pascal, René Descartes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Stefan Zweig, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Isaac Asimov, Eric Hoffer, and perhaps William Shakespeare (see section "Related Writers and Influence" below).

In his own time, Montaigne was admired more as a statesman than as an author. The tendency in his essays to digress into anecdotes and personal ruminations was seen as detrimental to proper style rather than as an innovation, and his declaration that, 'I am myself the matter of my book', was viewed by his contemporaries as self-indulgent. In time, however, Montaigne would be recognized as embodying, perhaps better than any other author of his time, the spirit of freely entertaining doubt which began to emerge at that time. He is most famously known for his skeptical remark, 'Que sais-je?' ('What do I know?'). Remarkably modern even to readers today, Montaigne's attempt to examine the world through the lens of the only thing he can depend on implicitly — his own judgment — makes him more accessible to modern readers than any other author of the Renaissance. Much of modern literary non-fiction has found inspiration in Montaigne and writers of all kinds continue to read him for his masterful balance of intellectual knowledge and personal story-telling.

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Wed Jan 20 04:22:59 2010

Who is the Philip discussed in Michel de Montaigne's Essays?
Q. Was this Philip II of Spain?
Asked by Mitzy D - Thu Nov 30 23:08:51 2006 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. That would be my guess, because the essay is referring to a King Philip, and Philip II of Spain certainly fits within the timeperiod.
Answered by Answerer17 - Fri Dec 1 00:14:28 2006

"Religion - it's a powerfull healing force in a world torn apart -- by Religion" Jon Stewart?
Q. "Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense." Chapman Cohen "Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a worm, yet he will make gods by the dozen." Michel de Montaigne "Of all bad men, religious bad men are the worst." C.S. Lewis, noted Christian author "Ethical people will do what is right, no matter what they are told. Religious people will do what they are told, no matter what is right." unknown "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." Denis Diderot (1713-1784) "No actual tyrant known to history has ever been guilty of one-hundredth of the crimes, massacres, and other atrocities attributed to the Deity in the Bible." Steve… [cont.]
Asked by El Odio 3.0 Atheist Gnostic - Tue Aug 25 00:05:21 2009 - - 8 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Are you hitting the Positive Atheism quote bank again? If you, you really need to get some quotes from women who have quite a bit to say about the religions that oppress them. I heard a variation on that last statement that says something like "The hands that work are better than the lips that pray."
Answered by VeggieTart -- Praise Seitan! - Tue Aug 25 08:25:05 2009

Michel de Montaigne???!?!??!?
Q. Who did he influence and how?
Asked by laxxxxxer - Sun Jan 25 17:38:35 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Since Edward Capell first made the suggestion in 1780, some scholars believe that Shakespeare was familiar with Montaigne's essays. [4] John Florio's translation of Montaigne's Essais became available for Shakespeare in English in 1603.[5] Much of Blaise Pascal's skepticism in his Pensees was a result of reading Montaigne, whose influence is also seen in the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson.[citation needed] Friedrich Nietzsche was moved to judge of Montaigne: "That such a man wrote has truly augmented the joy of living on this Earth" from "Schopenhauer as Educator". The American philosopher Eric Hoffer employed Montaigne both stylistically and in thought. Hoffer's memoir Truth Imagined said of Montaigne, "He was writing about me. He knew… [cont.]
Answered by im back - Thu Jan 29 06:19:46 2009

From Yahoo Answer Search: "Michel de Montaigne"
Fri Jan 15 11:23:09 2010

Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (28 February 153313 September 1592) was an influential French Renaissance writer, generally considered to be the inventor of the personal essay.

Essais

Written between 1571 and 1592, these were published in various editions between 1580 and 1595
  • Que sais-je?
    • Translation: "What know I?" or "What do I know?"
    • The notion of skepticism is most clearly understood by asking this question.
    • Book II, ch. 12
  • Je veux qu'on me voit en ma façon simple, naturelle, et ordinaire, sans étude et artifice; car c'est moi que je peins...Je suis moi-même la matière de mon livre.
    • Translation: I want to be seen here in my simple, natural, ordinary fashion, without straining or artifice; for it is myself that I portray...I am myself the matter of my book.
    • Book I (1580), To the Reader
  • Certes, c'est un subject merveilleusement vain, divers, et ondoyant, que l'homme. Il est malaisé d'y fonder jugement constant et uniforme.
    • Translation: Truly man is a marvellously vain, diverse, and undulating object. It is hard to found any constant and uniform judgement on him.
    • Book I, ch. 1
  • As for extraordinary things, all the provision in the world would not suffice.
    • Book I, ch. 14
  • In my opinion, every rich man is a miser.
    • Book I, ch. 14
  • Things are not bad in themselves, but our cowardice makes them so.
    • Book I, ch. 14
  • C'est de quoi j'ai le plus de peur que la peur.
    • Translation: The thing I fear most is fear.
    • Book I, ch, 18
  • Je veux que la mort me trouve plantant mes choux.
    • Translation: I want death to find me planting my cabbages.
    • Book I, ch. 20
The Scotsman Book Club: Montaigne summit - Scotsman
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The Scotsman Book Club: Montaigne summit

Scotsman

DR: THIS month's chosen book is How to Live, Sarah Bakewell's unconventional biography of Michel de Montaigne , the great 16th-century writer whose Essays ...

How to Live by Sarah Bakewell The Guardian



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Caldarola: una lapide in memoria del filosofo Michel De Montaigne - Vivere Civitanova
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Caldarola: una lapide in memoria del filosofo Michel De Montaigne

Vivere Civitanova

Il filosofo Michel de Montaigne infatti ne fa una accurata descrizione nel suo "Viaggio in Italia", poiche vi pernotto il 22 aprile 1581 durante il tragitto ...
Avec Franketienne, le poete du chaos - Le Magazine Litteraire
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Avec Franketienne, le poete du chaos

Le Magazine Litteraire

Son institut n'a rien a voir avec les ecoles borlette qui, sous des vocables ronflants ( Michel de Montaigne ou Simone de Beauvoir ont une bonne cote), ...



and more »

From Google News Search: "Michel de Montaigne"
Wed Jan 27 04:16:48 2010

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Saint Michel de Montaigne France Philosopher Michel Eyquem de Montaigne was one of the most influential writers of the

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No texto chamado Do Pedantismo Michel de Montaigne busca refletir acerca da distincao entre erudicao e sabedoria o que pode parecer um pouco estranho pois

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From Yahoo Image Search: "Michel de Montaigne"
Sat Jan 30 12:45:09 2010

4e edition du Forum "Nouveaux Medias, Nouveaux Metiers", le ...
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4e edition du Forum "Nouveaux Medias, Nouveaux Metiers", le ...

Sophie Girardeau

ue, 02 Feb 2010 13:12:54 GM

La 4e edition aura lieu le vendredi 12 fevrier 2010 a partir de 8h45 sur le plateau TV de l'IUT . Michel de Montaigne. . Ouverte aux professionnels et aux entreprises, cette journee reunit egalement etudiants et intervenants actuels, ...

menu du 16 au 20 novembre 2009
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menu du 16 au 20 novembre 2009

restaumontaigne

hu, 03 Dec 2009 17:44:00 GM

menu47.

Lundi 25 janvier 2010 : la presse locale :: Terrasson - Lavilledieu ::
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Lundi 25 janvier 2010 : la presse locale :: Terrasson - Lavilledieu ::

Alain Rassat

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:20:48 GM

Des faits qui se sont deroules en 2008 a Saint-. Michel. -. de-Montaigne. ... Jeudi 28 et vendredi 29 janvier, la cour d'assises d'appel devra se pencher sur une terrible affaire de torture et acte de barbarie par conjoint, deja jugee en mai ...

From Google Blog Search: "Michel de Montaigne"
Fri Feb 5 06:29:43 2010