Michel de Montaigne was a French philosopher born in 1533. He was born into a wealthy Catholic family and raised in a small town just outside of Bordeaux. However, at his father's wishes, during the first three years of his life, he was raised by a peasant family to help bring him closer to the people. Afterward, he was brought back to Chateau de Montaigne.

What's interesting is that from a young age, his father instilled ancient Greek philosophical values and lessons, leading to a point at which in later life people referred to him as ‘The French Seneca’. His father also promoted Latin as the primary language, and taught him to somewhat question all existence. He was clearly an intellectual, and from a young age, this was apparent as he completed the school curriculum at a prestigious boarding school in Bordeaux by the time he was 13.

He went on to study law, travelled far and wide throughout the regions, wrote about many subjective topics, married, fathered, and returned to Bordeaux to become the mayor. He lived an upper-class, focused, privileged, and interesting life.

However, although a significant philosopher, especially within the French Renaissance, he was still perceived as a humble, modest, and forthright person. He didn't take life too seriously, he encouraged self-diagnosis of one's flaws and limitations, and emphasized the importance of understanding and being content with oneself. He was a philosopher in his train of thought, around the drive to understand historical figures who have portrayed important ideologies in life, yet always choosing to elaborate on a true, uncompromising feeling in relation to it. Allowing oneself to evaluate a perspective without the preconceived notion of a famous ancient philosopher overpowering the narrative of the way we should live our lives.

One of his most famous quotes that has stuck with me while I've read through a tiny portion of his work is "The value of life lies not in the length of days but in the use we make of them." Montaigne believed in the importance of living a purposeful and fulfilling life, emphasizing that it's not the quantity of time we have but rather the quality and meaning we create from it that truly matters.

He also believed in embracing all pleasures and focused on allowing himself the ability to follow the pathways that allowed him to maintain interest, for interest sake, as oppose to force information or learnings into his mind. He didn’t believe in the requirement to learn certain things for the sake of it, as this will prevent the information from fully being absorbed. He believed more so in focusing on what brings us happiness, what stimulates our interest the most, and pursuing those paths, as that can assist greatly in creating the most purpose and happiness within our lives.

Thanks,

Dean