Michel de Montaigne: how reading enhances self-reliance

Before quitting his job and retiring to live in the countryside, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) had witnessed outrageous displays of prejudice and irrationality. Widespread violence had driven him close to losing all hope for humanity. Luckily, he opted for taking a step back and examining the situation. Montaigne’s conclusions are spread all over his essays. I can summarize here one of his main conclusions: People who don’t read books tend to be narrow-minded, gullible, emotional, and prone to exaggerated reactions. Happiness goes hand in hand with rationality, serenity, and thoughtfulness, but those cannot be improvised. Neither Plato nor Aristotle are coming back to lecture the public. Today, only books open the door to philosophy, personal growth, and self-reliance, which are the pillars of happiness. Montaigne was particularly aware of the link between self-reliance and reading. He considered the former a consequence of the latter. People who read become self-aware, prudent, and forward-looking. They realize the importance of making good decisions in times of crisis, instead of succumbing to fashions and social pressures. Montaigne considered reading the basis for self-reliance due to its sharpening effect on the mind. Readers can have a one-to-one conversation with the best authors from past centuries, and strengthen their determination to do the right thing. I do not think that other media (television, podcasts, videos, etc.) can provide such a deep connection to abstract ideas. In his essay “Of Experience,” Montaigne praised reading because “it can render any situation better.” Reading does so by making readers more self-reliant, more capable of dealing with trouble of all kinds. Montaigne also extolled the healing powers of reading. He called it “the best medicine in times of discouragement.” That’s because reading enhances self-confidence and self-reliance in dark days, when setbacks seem overwhelming. Despite its much-touted benefits, autosuggestion rarely does the trick of turning losers into winners. That’s because self-talk lacks the credibility supplied by experience. Conversely, a good book is invested with the author’s years or decades of experience. It may steer the reader’s thoughts in the right direction faster than a truckload of autosuggestion. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaigne-how-reading-enhances-self-reliance/