Great Works of Literature I, Spring 2020 – Online – Two

Montaigne’s essays

Montaigne’s essay “Of the Inconsistency of Our Actions” talks about how humans’ behaviors and actions are inconsistent. Not only do people change and grow every day, but the environment and situations that people are in are also different every day. “a sound intellect will refuse to judge men simply by their outward actions; we must probe the inside and discover what springs set men in motion. But since this is an arduous and hazardous undertaking, I wish fewer people would meddle with it”. We should not judge people just base on what they do unless we understand the intention and motivation for their actions.

2 thoughts on “Montaigne’s essays”

  1. I agree with you that we shouldn’t judge people base on their outward actions. Especially if it is just one thing or we don’t know them personally. However, I think if we observe someone’s actions for a while, we can get a sense of who the person is on the inside.

    1. I agree with you. Some says people who judge other easily have low self esteem. They don’t respect and trust themselves, so they don’t know how to respect others. I think this is the root of all discriminations. However, sometimes it’s so hard to get a sense of what others think of, especially we are in rush. So we need to reflect ourselves constantly.

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