"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, Essayist of the French Renaissance,1580
There are so books waiting to be read on my bookshelf. Last year I spent so much time researching for my thesis I would dream about all the time I would spend reading novels once I was finished honours. Then the Dip Ed hit and time for leisure reading didn't exist then either; so the books piled up. Now I finally have the time to start reading again and the first thing I picked up was this little Penguin book with a selection of essays by Michel de Montaigne. I love the touch of humanism in the essays, the references to Plato and Aristotle and the theme of friendship, it makes me feel as though I am reading, and learning from, literature of two different time periods rather than one. Nerdy, huh? Anyway, whatevs. I read this quote over a few times and it stuck in my head all weekend. Michel de Montaigne was known for being cynical but in this case I believe he is correct. But, I guess I am known for being quite cynical too....
Oh well, off to brunch.
