Quotes from book
How to Live

How to Live

How to Live, or a life of Montaigne in one question and twenty attempts at an answer, by Sarah Bakewell, was published by Chatto & Windus in 2010, and by Other Press on September 20, 2011. It is about the life of 16th century nobleman, wine grower, and essayist Michel Eyquem de Montaigne. In it, Bakewell "roughly maps out Montaigne's life against the questions he raises along the way," drawing the answers to these questions from his Essays.


Sarah Bakewell photo
Sarah Bakewell photo

“The philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty called Montaigne a writer who put “a consciousness astonished at itself at the core of human existence.””

Source: How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010), p. 37.

Sarah Bakewell photo
Sarah Bakewell photo
Sarah Bakewell photo

“From now on, Montaigne would live for himself rather than for duty.”

describing Montaigne’s retirement at age 38, p. 24.
How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010)

Sarah Bakewell photo
Sarah Bakewell photo

“Learning should be a pleasure, and children should grow up to imagine wisdom with a smiling face, not a fierce and terrifying one.”

describing Montaigne’s view, p. 57.
How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010)

Sarah Bakewell photo
Sarah Bakewell photo
Sarah Bakewell photo
Sarah Bakewell photo

“As Seneca put it, life does not pause to remind you that it is running out. The only one who can keep you mindful of this is you.”

Source: How to Live, or, A Life of Montaigne in one Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (2010), p. 37.

Sarah Bakewell photo

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