Review 68: Michel De Montainge: Selected Essays (Classics Club)( Michel de Montaigne)

Montaigne is so self-focused he is almost humble. He can't stop talking about himself in his essays, but it is the kind of self-reflection that dwells mostly on faults, and begs the reader for patience. C.S. Lewis' counsel is better: it is wisest not to think about ourselves too much, either for good or ill. Montaingne's main value lies in: 1) His reflections on repentance and glory, 2) His thorough digestion of classical authors (Seneca, Horace,etc), 3) His counsel that the first order of all of our lives is to know enough about ourselves to get our own house in order.