One final point: if Montaigne gives in easily to others, it is not only out of courtesy and to encourage his conversational partners to speak freely to him; it is also because he is not always sure of himself. His opinions are changeable, and he sometimes disagrees with himself. Montaigne loves argument, but he does not need anyone else to provide it. What he detests above all are people who are so arrogant that they take offense when someone else contradicts them. If there is one thing Montaigne loathes, it is smugness, conceit.
- Antoine Compagnon's new book, A Summer with Montaigne: On the Art of Living Well
- Antoine Compagnon's new book, A Summer with Montaigne: On the Art of Living Well
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