The 128 most classic philosophical essays in the world

Chapter 21
[French] Montaigne
Our most heroic and glorious career is to live comfortably, and all other things, such as governing, political affairs, and building industries, are at best embellishments and accessories of this career.

When I dance, I dance, and when I sleep, I sleep (but many people always want to sleep when they dance, and dance when they sleep).

Even if I am walking alone in a beautiful garden, if my mind turns to something unrelated to the walk for a moment, I will quickly withdraw my thoughts, making me think about the garden, the pleasure of being alone, and thinking about myself.

Nature urges us to perform activities to satisfy our own needs, and this activity brings us pleasure. Motherly nature is concerned about this. It pushes us to satisfy the needs of reason and desire. To break its rules is to violate It makes sense.

I know that Caesar and Alexander still fully enjoy the natural, that is, the necessary and legitimate pleasures of life, even at the time of their busiest activities.I would like to point out that this is not to relax the mind, but to strengthen it, for it takes a great deal of courage to subjugate vigorous activity, hard thought, to the habits of daily life.

They believed that enjoying the pleasures of life was their normal activity, while war was the extraordinary one.They are wise to think so, but we are fools.We say: "He has accomplished nothing in his life." Or: "I did nothing today..." Why, haven't you lived it?This is not only the basic activity, but also the most glorious of our activities. "If I could have handled the big things, I could have shown my talents." If you know how to think about your life and how to organize it, then you will do the most important things.

There is no need for unusual circumstances for the expression and function of nature.It manifests itself in many ways, even in the dark, as on a stage without a curtain.

Our duty is to adjust our habits, not to compile books; to order our manners, not to fight wars and expand territories.Our most heroic and glorious career is to live comfortably, and all other things, such as governing, political affairs, and building industries, are at best embellishments and accessories of this career.

Heart mark notes
A comfortable life does not mean how many battles you have won, how many brilliant achievements you have, how many amazing amounts of cash you have, nor does it mean that you can walk in the fields and countryside or visit the world's major beauties every day.A freehand life is a state of mind and a habit: it is to maintain a contented mood when you are the busiest; it is to be satisfied with what you have when you can't get what you want; When you decide to take a break, you can enjoy the leisure time with all your heart and soul... Cherish the sunshine of every day, treat every life kindly, live every day happily, and let your heart wander in a poetic atmosphere. This is freehand brushwork. life.

(End of this chapter)