--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And truly Philosophy is but sophisticated…" description: "\"And truly Philosophy is but sophisticated poetry. Whence do those ancient writers derive all their authority but from the poets?\" — Michel de Montaigne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/michel-de-montaigne-142_ancient_and-truly-philosophy-is-but-sophisticate_1129338.jpg" --- # And truly Philosophy is but sophisticated poetry. Whence… ![“And truly Philosophy is but sophisticated poetry. Whence do those ancient writers derive all their authority but from the poets?” quote by Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/michel-de-montaigne-142_ancient_and-truly-philosophy-is-but-sophisticate_1129338.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/michel-de-montaigne-142_ancient_and-truly-philosophy-is-but-sophisticate_1129338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/michel-de-montaigne-142_ancient_and-truly-philosophy-is-but-sophisticate_1129338.jpg) > “And truly Philosophy is but sophisticated poetry. Whence do those ancient writers derive all their authority but from the poets?” [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Philosophy often mirrors poetry, using artistic language to convey deep ideas. **In simple terms:** Philosophy resembles poetry. Key Takeaway Embrace poetic expression in thinking. Themes philosophy poetry authority literature Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - academic discourse - creative writing - public speaking Key Concepts rhetoric aesthetics cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How does poetic language shape understanding? - When is poetic form more persuasive than factual? A Different Perspective Poetry can obscure precise argumentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Never to have lived is best, ancient writers say; Never to have drawn the breath of life, never to have looked into the eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-b-yeats/never-to-have-lived-is-best-ancient-writers-say-never-to-have-drawn-2/) [W.B. Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-b-yeats/) > [“These days many poets live in cities, or at least in suburbs, and the natural world grows ever more distant from our everyday lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/these-days-many-poets-live-in-cities-or-at-least-in-suburbs-and-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“Ancient writers, we have seen, more often mention exorcism than anything else as a cause of conversion to Christianity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kreider/ancient-writers-we-have-seen-more-often-mention-exorcism-than/) [Alan Kreider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kreider/) > [Poetry is one of the ancient arts, and it began, as did all the fine arts, within the original wilderness of the earth. Also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/poetry-is-one-of-the-ancient-arts-and-it-began-as-did-all-the-fine-2/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Never to have lived is best, ancient writers say. Never to have drawn the breath of life, never to have looked into the eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/never-to-have-lived-is-best-ancient-writers-say-never-to-have-drawn/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Poetry is one of the ancient arts, and it began as did all the fine arts, within the original wilderness of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/poetry-is-one-of-the-ancient-arts-and-it-began-as-did-all-the-fine/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Poetry is such an ancient art, and I consider myself young within that art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/poetry-is-such-an-ancient-art-and-i-consider-myself-young-within-that/) [Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/) > [“Ancient writers sometimes meant what they said and occasionally even knew what they were talking about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-kennedy/ancient-writers-sometimes-meant-what-they-said-and-occasionally-even/) [George Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-kennedy/) > [Perhaps the most sophisticated and highly evolved system is that originated by Joseph Scogna. 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I would willingly return from the next world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/if-people-must-be-talking-about-me-i-would-have-it-to-be-truthfully/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Most pleasures embrace us but to strangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/most-pleasures-embrace-us-but-to-strangle/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [In true friendship, in which I am expert, I give myself to my friend more than I draw him to me. I not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/in-true-friendship-in-which-i-am-expert-i-give-myself-to-my-friend/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [There are as many and innumerable degrees of wit, as there are cubits between this and heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/there-are-as-many-and-innumerable-degrees-of-wit-as-there-are-cubits/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [A man has need of tough ears to hear himself fairly judged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/a-man-has-need-of-tough-ears-to-hear-himself-fairly-judged/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Lucius Arruntius killed himself, he said, to escape both the future and the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/lucius-arruntius-killed-himself-he-said-to-escape-both-the-future-and/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [I have a vocabulary all my own. 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