Read a lot of books. Forget most of what you read. Write about everything and nothing at all. Be curious about what interests you. Oh, and live in a chateaux that lets you have a tower all to yourself.
Read a lot of books. Forget most of what you read. Write about everything and nothing at all. Be curious about what interests you. Oh, and live in a chateaux that lets you have a tower all to yourself.
I can hardly believe that I did not know about Montaigne before now. After reading this book, I feel like I know him well and am excited about soon reading his essays. I love his views on how to live and actually have found them comforting to learn. The author adds extraneous information that I found bothersome enough to give this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ but really probably should be 5 ⭐️
1. Don't Worry About Death: Death is only a few bad moments at the end of life; it is not worth wasting any anxiety over.
(We found this man buried between his two wives. BTW, I love this book!)
This is more me these days, on a certain life quest.
#catchingup on #fallintobooks #day15 - #carpediem
Truly, the dream of every aspiring writer is to be born at a time when just writing whatever comes to mind is itself a revolutionary form of liturature (I'm oversimplifying, obviously). Maybe the key to being productive is to just act like that's the case.
This is a simply amazing book. A rhapsodic paean to the life of Montaigne and his famous 'Essays', one of the greatest works of the Renaissance. Read my goodreads review at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7624457-how-to-live
Still utterly enchanted with this book. I am rationing my reading of it so as to draw out the pleasure as long as possible. #montaigne #philosophy #sarahbakewell #biography #history #essays
'Is it my imagination, or have I finally found something worth living for?' Absolutely loving Sarah Bakewell's gorgeous exegesis of Montaigne. #montaigne #essays #sarahbakewell #philisophy
#marchintoreading day 21 - #spinepoetry
How to Live
Content
To Love and Be Wise
#worldpoetryday
"As the modern critic David Quint has summed it up, Montaigne would probably interpret the message for humanity in Christ's crucifixion as being 'Don't crucify people.'"
Loved this book. I liked the blend of biography and the way that Montaigne has been perceived across time. This book is remarkable for showing how the same text can be reimagined/reinterpreted by different cultural movements for different purposes. Who is the real Montaigne?
This book snuck up on me. The unusual structure was a little disorienting at first & a tad frustrating. After less than 100 pages in, I found myself reluctant to put down this biography cum treatise on life and literature. Highly recommended.