Quote Of The Day By Michel De Montaigne: 'The Utility Of Living Consists Not In The Length Of...'

Writer and philosopher Michel de Montaigne changed the world with his exploration of humanist philosophy. He is also credited with creating the essay as a literary form. In 1533 in Château de Montaigne, France, Montaigne was born into a wealthy family. He was tutored at home and went on to study law at the University of Toulouse. When he was 24, Montaigne met fellow writer and scholar Étienne de la Boétie, who became his closest friend. Montaigne viewed his deep intellectual bond with Boétie as his most important relationship. It is believed that the hole Boétie's death left in Montaigne's life inspired him to dive into his writing.

Montaigne was a member of the French Parliament, but he retired at just 37, hoping to leave public life behind, work through his grief, and focus on learning and writing. This is when he created "essais" to explore his thoughts and share them with the world. His first two essay books, made up of nearly 100 chapters that were written over time, were published in 1580. Much of Montaigne's writing explored his humanist philosophy. Through his exploration, he came to believe that all humans must explore their own minds and get to know themselves to determine their philosophy. He stressed that humans are imperfect and that there is more than one path to finding happiness. And that's why Montaigne's philosophy of a life well-lived is today's quote of the day.

"The utility of living consists not in the length of days, but in the use of time; a man may have lived long, and yet lived but a little." Michel de Montaigne shared this quote in his 1580 essay "That to Study Philosophy is to Learn to Die."  This simple sentiment sums up Montaigne's view that people should use their time wisely.

A short span of time packed with excitement and new experiences has more impact than a longer period during which nothing remarkable happens. One can simply exist day to day without truly experiencing what life has to offer. This leads some people to reach old age without truly living. According to Michel de Montaigne, how you use your time is more important than how much of it there is. 

It is believed that losing his best friend inspired Montaigne to retire early and focus on what mattered most to him — his writing. Perhaps losing his friend reminded Montaigne that life is meant to be lived and that doing what is meaningful to you is life's true purpose. Montaigne's choice to leave his career and the public eye to pursue the life that he wanted certainly aligns with this quote.

Our society makes it easy to get stuck in the tedium of everyday life, focusing on what we're required to do, rather than dedicating time to what we personally enjoy. Unlike Montaigne, most of us won't be able to retire at 37 years old. Even so, it can still be a helpful reminder to spend your time really living, enjoying yourself, and doing what feels important to you whenever you can.

• "He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears."
• "Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself."
• "When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind."
• "There were many terrible things in my life, and most of them never happened."
• "Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it."