The souls of emperors and cobblers are cast in the same mold...The same reason that makes us wrangle with a neighbor creates a war betwixt princes.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- All people share fundamental human nature regardless of status.
- In plain terms
- Emperors and laborers are human alike; conflicts arise from the same flaws.
- What can you take from it?
- Status does not change human nature or causes of conflict.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do leaders fight for the same reasons neighbors argue?
- How does power change human behavior?
Another view
Social status does influence power dynamics and consequences.
More from Michel de Montaigne
When I play with my cat, who knows if I am not a pastime to her more than she is to me?
Permalink to quote #28 L'homme est bien insense. Il ne saurait forger un ciron, et forge des Dieux a douzaines.
Permalink to quote #30 The easy, gentle, and sloping path...is not the path of true virtue. It demands a rough and thorny road.
Permalink to quote #27
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