They will say that I, having no literary skill, cannot properly express that which I desire to treat of, but they do not know that my subjects are to be dealt with by experience rather than by words. And [experience] has been the mistress of those who wrote well. And so, as mistress, I will cite her in all cases. Though I may not, like them, be able to quote other authors, I shall rely on that which is much greater and more worthy: on experience, the mistress of their masters. . Leonardo Da Vinci
About This Quote

Michel de Montaigne said, "They will say that I, having no literary skill, cannot properly express that which I desire to treat of, but they do not know that my subjects are to be dealt with by experience rather than by words. And [experience] has been the mistress of those who wrote well. And so, as mistress, I will cite her in all cases." Montaigne's understanding of human nature was that no single person has the ability to fully understand other people. That is because every person is different.

It is impossible for one person to know everything about another person because there are so many different variables at play. Thus, the only way to truly understand how another person thinks or reacts is to have an experience with them or observe their behavior in a real-life setting.

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  1. All our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions
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