The most manifest sign of wisdom is a continual cheerfulness;
- Source
- Essays, “Of the Education of Children”, 1580, trans. Charles Cotton
- Written
- 1580
About this quotation
Montaigne writes it in the essay on how to educate a child, arguing that philosophy teaches a serene and contented countenance. He adds that wisdom’s state is “like that of things in the regions above the moon, always clear and serene”.