Day 13 · Q1: Self-Knowledge · January 13, 2026
Pause. Breathe. Begin.
I . L E C T I O
Michel de Montaigne
Essays, Book III, Ch. 13 — Of Experience
“I study myself more than any other subject. That is my metaphysics; that is my physics.”
C O N T E X T
In his final and longest essay, Montaigne declares himself his own primary text. Written in the 1580s, this is perhaps the most radical statement of self-study as philosophy — your own life as the laboratory.
I I . M E D I T A T I O
“If you studied yourself as seriously as you study your work, what would you discover?”
I I I . S C R I P T I O
Write one sentence about what your daily habits reveal about your true values.
I V . C O N N E X I O
Montaigne returns, deepening his earlier call for a 'back shop.' Now he reveals what you do inside it: you study yourself. How does this compare to Heraclitus's search?
This practice exists because of readers like you.
Sustain it →Tomorrow's passage, delivered at dawn.