---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No profession or occupation is more…"
description: "\"No profession or occupation is more pleasing than the military; a profession or exercise both noble in execution (for the strongest, most generous and ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/michel-de-montaigne-142_active_no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-plea_2489314.jpg"
---

#  No profession or occupation is more pleasing than the…

![“No profession or occupation is more pleasing than the military; a profession or exercise both noble in execution (for the strongest, most generous and proudest of all virtues is true valor) and noble in its cause. No utility either more just or universal than the protection of the repose or…” quote by Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/michel-de-montaigne-142_active_no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-plea_2489314.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/michel-de-montaigne-142_active_no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-plea_2489314.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/michel-de-montaigne-142_active_no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-plea_2489314.jpg)

> “No profession or occupation is more pleasing than the military; a profession or exercise both noble in execution (for the strongest, most generous and proudest of all virtues is true valor) and noble in its cause. No utility either more just or universal than the protection of the repose or defense of the greatness of one's country. The company and daily conversation of so many noble, young and active men cannot but be well-pleasing to you.”

[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.

He praises the military as a noble, just, and universal profession that protects the nation and embodies virtue.

**In simple terms:** Military is noble and just.

Key Takeaway

Respect and support those who protect society.

Themes

courage service patriotism

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- defense
- public service
- national security

Key Concepts

virtue justice social contract

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities accompany military service?
- How can societies honor soldiers without glorifying war?

A Different Perspective

War can cause suffering and moral dilemmas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Execution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Generous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Navy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/navy/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection/) [Valor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valor/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/)

## Related quotes

> [All over the world, there are so many magazine articles and books telling women what to do, how to be and not to be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/all-over-the-world-there-are-so-many-magazine-articles-and-books/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

> [War Is A Racket : I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smedley-butler/war-is-a-racket-i-suspected-i-was-just-part-of-a-racket-at-the-time/)

[Smedley Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smedley-butler/)

> [The military profession, especially is the long-established great powers, is deeply pessimistic about the likelihood that people and countries will behave well under stress.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwynne-dyer/the-military-profession-especially-is-the-long-established-great/)

[Gwynne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwynne-dyer/)

> [Mankind are in the end always governed by superiority of intellectual faculties, and none are more sensible of this than the military profession. When,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/mankind-are-in-the-end-always-governed-by-superiority-of-intellectual/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [In the same manner, having been reduced by disorder, and sunk to their utmost state of depression, unable to descend lower, they, of necessity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/in-the-same-manner-having-been-reduced-by-disorder-and-sunk-to-their/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/valor-is-stability-not-of-legs-and-arms-but-of-courage-and-the-soul/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Valor is strength, not of legs and arms, but of heart and soul; it consists not in the worth of our horse or our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/valor-is-strength-not-of-legs-and-arms-but-of-heart-and-soul-it/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [I have ever loved to repose myself, whether sitting or lying, with my heels as high or higher than my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/i-have-ever-loved-to-repose-myself-whether-sitting-or-lying-with-my/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Business in a certain sort of men is a mark of understanding, and they are honored for it. Their souls seek repose in agitation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/business-in-a-certain-sort-of-men-is-a-mark-of-understanding-and-they/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Glory and repose are things that cannot possibly inhabit in one and the same place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/glory-and-repose-are-things-that-cannot-possibly-inhabit-in-one-and/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Ambition is, of all other, the most contrary humor to solitude; and glory and repose are so inconsistent that they cannot possibly inhabit one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/ambition-is-of-all-other-the-most-contrary-humor-to-solitude-and/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Who is it that does not voluntarily exchange his health, his repose, and his very life for reputation and glory? The most useless, frivolous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/who-is-it-that-does-not-voluntarily-exchange-his-health-his-repose/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Gentleness and repose are paramount to everything else in woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/gentleness-and-repose-are-paramount-to-everything-else-in-woman/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [ Forgiveness is the best part of valor...Discretion is easy. It's finding the courage to forgive yourself and others that is hard. \[Acheron\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/forgiveness-is-the-best-part-of-valor-discretion-is-easy-it-s-finding/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [My valour is certainly going! - it is sneaking off! - I feel it oozing out as it were at the palms of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/my-valour-is-certainly-going-it-is-sneaking-off-i-feel-it-oozing-out/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

## More by Michel de Montaigne

> [No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/no-man-is-exempt-from-saying-silly-things-the-mischief-is-to-say-them/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [The laws keep up their credit, not by being just, but because they are laws; 'tis the mystic foundation of their authority; they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-laws-keep-up-their-credit-not-by-being-just-but-because-they-are/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Every one rushes elsewhere and into the future, because no one wants to face one's own inner self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/every-one-rushes-elsewhere-and-into-the-future-because-no-one-wants/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Beauty is the true prerogative of women, and so peculiarly their own, that our sex, though naturally requiring another sort of feature, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/beauty-is-the-true-prerogative-of-women-and-so-peculiarly-their-own/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [The height and value of true virtue consists in the facility, utility, and pleasure of its exercise; so far from difficulty, that boys, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-height-and-value-of-true-virtue-consists-in-the-facility-utility/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Fie on the eloquence that leaves us craving itself, not things!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/fie-on-the-eloquence-that-leaves-us-craving-itself-not-things/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [The plainest sign of wisdom is a continual cheerfulness: her state is like that of things in the regions above the moon, always clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-plainest-sign-of-wisdom-is-a-continual-cheerfulness-her-state-is/)

[Michel De Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [The corruption of the age is made up by the particular contribution of every individual man; some contribute treachery, others injustice, atheism, tyranny, avarice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-corruption-of-the-age-is-made-up-by-the-particular-contribution/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [If people must be talking about me, I would have it to be truthfully and justly. 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. I pass the time when itis wet and disagreeable. Whenit is fine I do not wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/i-have-a-vocabulary-all-my-own-i-pass-the-time-when-itis-wet-and/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

[Explore all 1,131 Michel de Montaigne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

## More Active quotes

> [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/)

[Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/)

> [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/)

[Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/)

> [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I eat healthy most of the time. Whole foods are the best for you when you are super active, so I get plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witney-carson/i-eat-healthy-most-of-the-time-whole-foods-are-the-best-for-you-when/)

[Witney Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witney-carson/)

> [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/)

[Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/)

> [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/)

[Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/)

> [I stayed in L.A. long enough to get on my feet, and then I moved back to New York. The reason I moved here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-stayed-in-l-a-long-enough-to-get-on-my-feet-and-then-i-moved-back/)

[Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/)

> [The answer to any challenge you are having has nothing to do with God's willingness to help. It has to do with your acceptance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/the-answer-to-any-challenge-you-are-having-has-nothing-to-do-with-god/)

[Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/)

> [Pete Townsend for me was a huge influence. Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/)

[Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/)

> [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/few-if-any-creatures-are-equally-active-all-night/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [You need to enjoy yourself and just get into the routine of keeping fit and enjoying being active. That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/)

[Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/)

Browse all 2,212 Active quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No profession or occupation is more pleasing than the military; a profession or exercise both noble in execution (for the strongest, most generous and proudest of all virtues is true valor) and noble in its cause. No utility either more just or universal than the protection of the repose or defense of the greatness of one's country. The company and daily conversation of so many noble, young and active men cannot but be well-pleasing to you.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michel de Montaigne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-pleasing-than-the-military-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Active"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-pleasing-than-the-military-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/michel-de-montaigne-142_active_no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-plea_2489314.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/michel-de-montaigne-142_active_no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-plea_2489314.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/michel-de-montaigne-142_active_no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-plea_2489314.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No profession or occupation is more pleasing than the military; a profession or exercise both noble in…” — Michel de Montaigne",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Michel de Montaigne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No profession or occupation is more...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-pleasing-than-the-military-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/no-profession-or-occupation-is-more-pleasing-than-the-military-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
