“I do not speak the minds of others except to speak my own mind better.”

— Michel De Montaigne , book Essays

Je ne dis les autres, sinon pour d'autant plus me dire.
Book I, Ch. 26
Essais (1595), Book I
Variant: I quote others only in order the better to express myself.

Original

Je ne dis les autres, sinon pour d'autant plus me dire.

Explication annotée : « Je ne cite les autres que pour mieux exprimer ma pensée ».
Essais, Livre I

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Michel De Montaigne 264

(1533-1592) French-Occitan author, humanistic philosopher, … 1533–1592

- Goa

“I am in a position to speak my mind. And that is what I propose to do.”

Walter Cronkite (1916–2009) American broadcast journalist

UN Address (1999)
Context: For many years, I did my best to report on the issues of the day in as objective a manner as possible. When I had my own strong opinions, as I often did, I tried not to communicate them to my audience.
Now, however, my circumstances are different. I am in a position to speak my mind. And that is what I propose to do.
Those of us who are living today can influence the future of civilization. We can influence whether our planet will drift into chaos and violence, or whether through a monumental educational and political effort we will achieve a world of peace under a system of law where individual violators of that law are brought to justice.

“I am a writer an a singer of the words I write I am no speaker nor any politician an my songs speak for me because I write them in the confinement of my own mind an have t cope with no one except my own self.”

Bob Dylan (1941) American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and artist

Letter sent to the ECLC after Dylan received the Tom Paine Award at the Bill of Rights dinner on December 13, 1963, as reported in "Mr. Dylan Regrets" http://www.hotpress.com/Bob-Dylan/music/interviews/Mr-Dylan-Regrets/2836632.html by Niall Stokes, Hot Press (11 November 2005)

“I speak my mind, because it hurts to bite my tongue”

Cornelius Keagon (1996) Liberian humanitarian aid worker

“I have to speak my mind. Because what is in my mind is always more interesting than what is happening in the world outside my mind.”

John Wilmot (1748–1815) English politician

“Silence has many advantages. When you do not speak, other people presume you to be deaf or feeble-minded and promptly make a show of their own limitations.”

Barbara Kingsolver The Poisonwood Bible

Source: The Poisonwood Bible

“I speak my mind. If it offends some people, well, there's not much I can do about that. But I'm going to be honest.”

Jesse Ventura (1951) American politician and former professional wrestler

NBC's Meet The Press (3 October 1999) responding to criticism of his remarks in Playboy magazine.
Context: I speak my mind. If it offends some people, well, there's not much I can do about that. But I'm going to be honest. I'm going to continue to speak my mind, and that's who I am...

“When I cannot sing my heart, I can only speak my mind.”

John Lennon (1940–1980) English singer and songwriter

"Julia" (1968); these lines were adapted from lines of Sand and Foam (1926) by Khalil Gibran: "When life does not find a singer to sing her heart she produces a philosopher to speak her mind."
Lyrics

“When one intends to move or when one intends to speak, one should first examine one’s own mind and then act appropriately with composure. When one sees one’s mind to be attached or repulsed, then one should neither act nor speak, but remain still like a piece of wood. When my mind is haughty, sarcastic, full of conceit and arrogance, ridiculing, evasive and deceitful, when it is inclined to boast, or when it is contemptuous of others, abusive, and irritable, then I should remain still like a piece of wood. When my mind is averse to the interests of others and seeks my own self-interest, or when it wishes to speak out of a desire for an audience, then I will remain still like a piece of wood. When it is impatient, indolent, timid, impudent, garrulous, or biased in my own favor, then I will remain still like a piece of wood.”

Šantidéva (685–763) 8th-century Indian Buddhist monk and scholar

§ 5.47
Bodhicaryavatara, A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life

“I do not know anything about Art with a capital A. What I do know about is my art. Because it concerns me. I do not speak for others. So I do not speak for things which profess to speak for others. My art, however, speaks for me. It lights my way.”

Mark Z. Danielewski book House of Leaves

Source: House of Leaves

“I do not speak the minds of others except to speak my own mind better.”

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Michel De Montaigne 264

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