It is a disaster that wisdom forbids you to be satisfied with yourself and always sends you away dissatisfied and fearful, whereas stubbornness and foolhardiness fill their hosts with joy and assurance.

Michel De Montaigne
About This Quote

In this quote, Seneca is talking about how wisdom can be a curse. We may not realize it, but many of the mistakes we make come from being overly proud of ourselves. When we try to be wise and learn from our mistakes, we may discover that we have learned something new and useful. However, if we find ourselves stubborn and proud, we may not be satisfied with what we have learned and continue to keep all of our mistakes hidden.

They remain a secret within our hearts so that no one knows the true extent of the damage they have caused. When your pride prevents you from learning from your mistakes without admitting them, you will never get over them.

Source: The Complete Essays

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  1. If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I.
  2. The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.
  3. I do not care so much what I am to others as I care what I am to myself.
  4. I quote others only in order the better to express myself.
  5. Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by dozens.
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