Arrogance Quote by Michel de Montaigne
““Atheism being a proposition as unnatural as monstrous, difficult also and hard to establish in the human understanding, how arrogant soever, there are men enough seen, out of vanity and pride, to be the authors of extraordinary and reforming opinions, and outwardly to affect the profession of them; who, if they are such fools, have, nevertheless, not the power to plant them in their own conscience.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Essays by Michel de Montaigne, 1580
The quote critiques the difficulty of embracing atheism, suggesting it is seen as unnatural and that people who claim it often do so out of vanity rather than genuine conviction.
In simple terms: Atheism is viewed as unnatural and claimed for pride.
Key Takeaway
Question motives behind bold claims.
Themes
philosophy
skepticism
pride
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- personal belief formation
- public discourse
- religious dialogue
Key Concepts
human nature
belief formation
intellectual humility
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you think the author’s bias affects his assessment?
- How can we distinguish genuine belief from vanity?
A Different Perspective
The quote may overgeneralize and dismiss sincere atheistic thinkers.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
