Michel de Montaigne begins Essays with an appeal to the reader: “I have had no thought of serving either of you or my own glory… I want to be seen here in my simple, natural, ordinary fashion, without straining or artifice; for it is myself that I portray”. From the first lines, the author appears to be honest and opens about his thoughts, feelings, and habits. Montaigne writes about the importance of self-observance and self-reflection. He is trying to know and understand himself to understand the others, and during this constant journey of self-reflection, the author emphasizes the inconstancy and the imperfection of the humans. However, Montaigne does not blame it on the evil nature or original sin like medieval authors. He encourages the reader to accept themselves the way they are because their imperfections are the true beauty of human essence.
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In that same passage, Montaigne also says “My defects here will be read to the life, and also my natural form, as far as respect for the public has allowed. Had I been placed among those nations which are said to live still in the sweet freedom of nature’s first laws, I assure you I should very gladly have portrayed myself here entire and wholly naked.” While it appears that he is being open about his self-reflection, he can only be as open as society at the time will allow. Even though this collection was only meant for the eyes of his relatives and friends upon his passing, it is ironic that even a self-reflection piece had to be written within the bounds of France’s standards. For a politician and psychologist like Montaigne, it is evident that the burden of other people will always shape how he expresses himself. It would not be surprising if the rhetoric chosen for his essays were deliberate in creating an image of how he wanted others to remember him. After all, how can you honestly self-reflect when you are aware that your innermost thoughts will be judged through the lens of others?
Montaigne’s essays basically cover everything of life, some are elaborate the views of other ancestors, some are based on this expansion, and some are his own unique views. In his essay, he also quoted many philosophers, and often quoted the words of little-known philosophers, and each sentence was full of philosophy and well-connected with the article. Philosophy has always existed, but in different periods, different people explain it differently, and the most acceptable to everyone is the philosophy that suits their own expression.