Orts #678
. . . the wise man should withdraw his soul within, out of the crowd, and keep it in freedom and power to judge things freely; but as for externals, he should wholly follow the accepted fashions and forms. Society in general can do without our thoughts; but the rest — our actions, our work, our fortunes, and our very life — we must lend and abandon to its service and to the common opinions . . .
-- Montaigne, in an essay, Of Custom, and not easily changing an accepted law
...it is not enough to have gotten away from the crowd, it is not enough to move; we must get away from the gregarious instincts that are inside us, we must sequester ourselves and repossess ourselves.
-- Montaigne, in an essay, Of solitude
Retire into yourself, but first prepare to receive yourself there; it would be madness to trust in yourself if you do not know how to govern yourself. There are ways to fail in solitude as well as in company.
-- Montaigne, in an essay, Of solitude
If you are receiving this twice, it is because I am sending from a remote location where internet access is worse than spotty. Apologies.