Tag: Charles Cotton

Michel de Montaigne? Charles Cotton? M. A. Screech? Apocryphal?

Dear Quote Investigator: Overconfidence is one of the great faults of humankind. Gaining mastery of a topic is often quite difficult. Here is a pertinent remark:

There is a plague on Man: his opinion that he knows something.

The prominent French philosopher Michel de Montaigne has received credit for this saying. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Quote Investigator: Michel de Montaigne began to publish his famous essays in the 1570s. He continued to create, revise, and publish the essays up to the time of his death in 1592. The work titled “Apologie de Raymond de Sebonde” (“Apology for Raimond Sebond”) contained the saying under examination. The following text and spelling is from a 1652 edition. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:^[1]1652, Les Essais de Michel, Seignevr de Montaigne, Novvelle Edition, Livre Second (Book 2), Chapitre 12 (Chapter 12): Apologie de Raymond de Sebonde, Start Page 313, Quote Page 353, Chez Edme … Continue reading

La peste de l’homme c’est l’opinion de sçauoir. Voila pourquoy l’ignorance nous est tant recommandée par nostre Religion, comme piece propre à la creance et à l’obeissance.

The sentences above have been translated into English by M. A. Screech as follows:^[2]1987, An Apology for Raymond Sebond by Michel de Montaigne, Translated and Edited by M. A. Screech, Book 2, Chapter 12, Quote Page 53, Penguin Classics: Penguin Books, London, England. (Verified with … Continue reading

There is a plague on Man: his opinion that he knows something. That is why ignorance is so strongly advocated by our religion as a quality appropriate to belief and obedience.

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading There Is a Plague on Man: His Opinion That He Knows Something