Sarah Bakewell on Michel de Montaigne
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“From now on, Montaigne would live for himself rather than for duty.”
“He felt ordinary, but knew that the very fact of realizing his ordinariness made him extraordinary.”
“The hedonistic approach to education did make a difference to him. Having been guided early in life by his own curiosity alone, he grew up to be an independent-minded adult, following his own path in everything rather than deferring to duty and discipline.”