Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)

Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne, commonly known as just Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the essay as a literary genre. His work is noted for its merging of casual anecdotes and autobiography with intellectual insight. Montaigne had a direct influence on numerous writers of Western literature; his Essais contain some of the most influential essays ever written.

Quotes

Since we cannot match it let us take our revenge by abusing it.
Ambition is not a vice of little people.
He who establishes his argument by noise and command, shows that his reason is weak.
He who has not a good memory should never take upon himself the trade of lying.
Malice sucks up the greater part of her own venom, and poisons herself.
It is easier to write an indifferent poem than to understand a good one.
I quote others only in order the better to express myself.
Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a flea, yet he makes gods by the dozens.
When all is summed up, a man never speaks of himself without loss; his accusations of himself are always believed; his praises never.
In the education of children there is nothing like alluring the interest and affection, otherwise you only make so many asses laden with books.
It is good to rub and polish our brain against that of others
There is nothing more notable in Socrates than that he found time, when he was an old man, to learn music and dancing, and thought it time well spent.
Man is certainly stark mad. He cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by dozens.
I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly.

Education
There is as much difference between us and ourselves as there is between us and others.
No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.
The most profound joy has more of gravity than of gaiety in it.

Joy
So it is with minds. Unless you keep them busy with some definite subject that will bridle and control them, they throw themselves in disorder hither and yon in the vague field of imagination... And there is no mad or idle fancy that they do not bring forth in the agitation.
Fashion is the science of appearances, and it inspires one with the desire to seem rather than to be.
There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees.