Don't discuss yourself, for you are bound to lose; if you belittle yourself, you are believed; if you praise yourself, you are disbelieved.

—Michel de Montaigne

belief self-centeredness praise

About Michel de Montaigne

Portrait of Michel de Montaigne

Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne (28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as just Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant writers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the essay as a literary genre. His work is noted for its merging of casual...

More quotations from Michel de Montaigne

He who is not very strong in memory should not meddle with lying.

—Michel de Montaigne

The most profound joy has more of gravity than of gaiety in it.

—Michel de Montaigne

There are some defeats more triumphant than victories.

—Michel de Montaigne

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.

—Michel de Montaigne

self events control

We take other men's knowledge and opinions upon trust; which is an idle and superficial learning. We must make them our own. We are just like a man who, needing fire, went to a neighbor's house to fetch it, and finding a very good one there, sat down to warm himself without remembering to carry any back home. What good does it do us to have our belly full of meat if it is not digested, if it is not transformed into us, if it does not nourish and support us?

—Michel de Montaigne

learning knowledge curiosity trust fire

More quotations tagged with “praise”

You do ill if you praise, but worse if you censure, what you do not understand.

—Leonardo da Vinci

Praise the young and they will flourish.

—Irish Proverb

The meanest, most contemptible kind of praise is that which first speaks well of a man, and then qualifies it with a "but".

—Henry Ward Beecher

praise but qualification

Such praise coming from so degraded a source, was degrading to me, its recipient.

There are two modes of establishing our reputation: to be praised by honest men, and to be abused by rogues. It is best, however, to secure the former, because it will invariably be accompanied by the latter.

—Charles Caleb Colton

honesty reputation praise

History

11 Jul 2015 Added