Michel de Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne was a French Renaissance thinker and public official, widely regarded as the originator of the modern essay — a short prose form (from the French essai, "attempt") in which a writer examines a subject through personal reflection. Born into the minor nobility near Bordeaux, he studied law and served as a magistrate in the Bordeaux parlement, later serving two terms as the city's mayor amid the French Wars of Religion. In 1571 he withdrew to his family château to read, reflect, and write. His Essais, first published in 1580 and expanded until his death, range across custom, mortality, education, and the limits of human knowledge, marked by the questioning motto "Que sais-je?" ("What do I know?").