If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- What’s the secret to living a meaningful life in a world of chaos, according to the man who literally invented the 'essay' to find the answer?
- Did you know that the most effective way to handle life’s biggest challenges—from grief to physical pain—might be found in the 400-year-old habits of a French nobleman?
- Are you curious about how the ancient wisdom of Stoics and Skeptics can be distilled into practical, everyday lessons for your own personal development?
Listen to How to Live — Free Audiobook
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Key Takeaways from How to Live
- Discover how Michel de Montaigne invented the modern essay as a raw, personal way to ward off melancholy and find mental focus.
- Understand why a rational but morbid obsession with death can completely spoil your ability to enjoy day-to-day life.
- Learn how a near-fatal horseback riding accident revealed to Montaigne that the mind naturally makes the dying process a painless, even pleasant experience.
- Uncover how to inject a sense of lightness into your own existence by drifting over life's rough patches instead of taking things too seriously.
- Find out how tracking and writing down your restless, wandering thoughts can help you conquer aimlessness and give your mind renewed purpose.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from How to Live
Mind Map
How to Live
Early Life & Obsession
Outward Success
Morbid Preoccupation
The Life-Changing Accident
The Event
The Experience
The Lesson
Retirement & Invention
Restless Mind
Birth of the Essay
In Praise of Mediocrity
Value of the Ordinary
Redefining Greatness
Intellectual Humility
Writing Style
Stream of Consciousness
Embracing Contradiction
Immersive Reflection
Legacy & Impact
Reluctant Celebrity
Unfinished Work
Enduring Influence
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 6
According to the text, what was Montaigne's primary motivation for writing his 'Essays' after he retired?
How to Live — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: A Grim Obsession
Chapter 3: A Life-Altering Accident
Chapter 4: An Unsettled Retirement
Chapter 5: A Case for Mediocrity
Chapter 6: How to Write an Essay the Montaigne Way
Chapter 7: Unfinished Work
How to Live Summary & Overview
How to Live (2010) is both a biography of the writer Montaigne and an overview of the monumental work for which he’s famous: the Essays – a genre of writing that he invented. Along the way, it suggests some lessons we can take from his life and apply to our own.
Who Should Listen to How to Live?
- Students of the Stoics, Epicureans, or Skeptics who want to learn about one of their greatest prodigies
- Fans of biographies about writers and thinkers
- Anyone who wants to know more about the life and works of Montaigne
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