--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh these foolish men! They could not…" description: "\"Oh these foolish men! They could not create so much as a worm, but they create gods by the dozens.\" — Michel de Montaigne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/michel-de-montaigne-142_dozen_oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-crea_544062.jpg" --- # Oh these foolish men! They could not create so much as a… ![“Oh these foolish men! They could not create so much as a worm, but they create gods by the dozens.” quote by Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/michel-de-montaigne-142_dozen_oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-crea_544062.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/michel-de-montaigne-142_dozen_oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-crea_544062.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/michel-de-montaigne-142_dozen_oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-crea_544062.jpg) > “Oh these foolish men! They could not create so much as a worm, but they create gods by the dozens.” [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. Human beings often create elaborate deities while failing at simple creation, highlighting our tendency to overcomplicate belief systems. **In simple terms:** People make gods instead of simple things. Key Takeaway Recognize and simplify our creations. Themes hubris religion human nature Mood skeptical reflective Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - political discourse - art criticism - personal belief formation - cultural analysis Key Concepts mythmaking ego cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - Do we prioritize grand narratives over everyday realities? - How does this tendency affect societal progress? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on abstraction can obscure practical problem solving. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Create Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-gods-818253/) [Dozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozen/) [Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish/) [Foolish man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish-man/) [Foolish Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish-men/) [Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) [Gods Dozens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-dozens-3829412/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-create-1079479/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms/) ## Related quotes > [Men create gods after their own image, not only with regard to their form but with regard to their mode of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/men-create-gods-after-their-own-image-not-only-with-regard-to-their/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Men create the gods in their own image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenophanes/men-create-the-gods-in-their-own-image/) [Xenophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xenophanes/) > [Men create the gods after their own images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/men-create-the-gods-after-their-own-images/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Oh senseless man, who cannot possibly make a worm or a flea and yet will create Gods by the dozen!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/oh-senseless-man-who-cannot-possibly-make-a-worm-or-a-flea-and-yet/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Passion often makes a fool of the cleverest man and often makes the most foolish men clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/passion-often-makes-a-fool-of-the-cleverest-man-and-often-makes-the/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Force will not keep the empire together. Force has never kept anything together for the very long. The more you tighten your grip, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/force-will-not-keep-the-empire-together-force-has-never-kept-anything/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [Some immemorial imbecilities have been added deliberately, on the ground that it is just as interesting to note how foolish men have been as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/some-immemorial-imbecilities-have-been-added-deliberately-on-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by dozens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-is-certainly-stark-mad-he-cannot-make-a-worm-and-yet-he-will-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Popular men, They must create strange monsters, and then quell them, To make their arts seem something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/popular-men-they-must-create-strange-monsters-and-then-quell-them-to/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [“I want Poetry and Power and the young men who create it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goldman/i-want-poetry-and-power-and-the-young-men-who-create-it/) [James Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goldman/) > [When plunder becomes a way of life, men create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/when-plunder-becomes-a-way-of-life-men-create-for-themselves-a-legal/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Men create real miracles when they use their God-given courage and intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anouilh/men-create-real-miracles-when-they-use-their-god-given-courage-and/) [Jean Anouilh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anouilh/) > [“The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the nation's greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-men-who-create-power-make-an-indispensable-contribution-to-the-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Gods and men create one another, destroy one another, though by different means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/gods-and-men-create-one-another-destroy-one-another-though-by/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Men who create art feel a zillion times happier than men who create wealth. Art lives on but wealth diminishes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/men-who-create-art-feel-a-zillion-times-happier-than-men-who-create/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) ## 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 Dozen quotes > [One should never forget that by actually perfecting one piece one gains and learns more than by starting or half-finishing a dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-brahms/one-should-never-forget-that-by-actually-perfecting-one-piece-one/) [Johannes Brahms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-brahms/) > [Saiman picked up a coffee mug, stared at it, and hurled it against the wall. It shattered into a dozen pieces. We looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/saiman-picked-up-a-coffee-mug-stared-at-it-and-hurled-it-against-the/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [I do remember what I said. The promise. To protect her. If I'd done that ... even if I didn't make it, you wouldn't've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-do-remember-what-i-said-the-promise-to-protect-her-if-i-d-done-that/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [Foolish tongues talke by the dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/foolish-tongues-talke-by-the-dozen/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Well. We’ll just have to hope that this wasn’t a loup-garou, I guess.” “If it was a louper, you’d know,” Bob said wisely. “In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/well-we-ll-just-have-to-hope-that-this-wasn-t-a-loup-garou-i-guess-if/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [One death to a man is a serious thing: a dozen neutralize one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-francis-burton/one-death-to-a-man-is-a-serious-thing-a-dozen-neutralize-one-another/) [Richard Francis Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-francis-burton/) > [My favourite song of Elton's is... it's a tricky one for me. I'm a proper fan and I've probably seen him in concert about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-lucas/my-favourite-song-of-elton-s-is-it-s-a-tricky-one-for-me-i-m-a-proper/) [Matt Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-lucas/) > [Osama Bin Laden is dead. Killed not by a massive troop deployment but by a commando raid carried out by a few dozen highly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/osama-bin-laden-is-dead-killed-not-by-a-massive-troop-deployment-but/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [I've talked to dozens of Chicagoans who will only go off the record in talking about the manufactured mythology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-malveaux/i-ve-talked-to-dozens-of-chicagoans-who-will-only-go-off-the-record/) [Julianne Malveaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-malveaux/) > [Protecting dozens of major coastal cities from future flooding will be challenging enough-rebuilding major coastal cities destroyed by super-hurricanes will be an almost impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/protecting-dozens-of-major-coastal-cities-from-future-flooding-will/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [There are always a half-dozen things that make 80%of the difference. Only SIX things!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/there-are-always-a-half-dozen-things-that-make-80-of-the-difference/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [“Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/perhaps-it-s-true-that-things-can-change-in-a-day-that-a-few-dozen/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Triump is just a little umph added to try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-owens/triump-is-just-a-little-umph-added-to-try/) [Tim Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-owens/) > [Oh senseless man, who cannot possibly make a worm or a flea and yet will create Gods by the dozen!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/oh-senseless-man-who-cannot-possibly-make-a-worm-or-a-flea-and-yet/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [While I was pregnant, I had dozens of checkups. They covered everything from blood tests to ultrasounds, and I even had the option of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/while-i-was-pregnant-i-had-dozens-of-checkups-they-covered-everything/) [Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/) [Browse all 974 Dozen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Oh these foolish men! They could not create so much as a worm, but they create gods by the dozens.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michel de Montaigne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-create-so-much-as-a-worm-but-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dozen" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-create-so-much-as-a-worm-but-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/michel-de-montaigne-142_dozen_oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-crea_544062.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/michel-de-montaigne-142_dozen_oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-crea_544062.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/884/michel-de-montaigne-142_dozen_oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-crea_544062.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Oh these foolish men! They could not create so much as a worm, but they create gods by the dozens.” — 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": "Oh these foolish men! They could...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-create-so-much-as-a-worm-but-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/oh-these-foolish-men-they-could-not-create-so-much-as-a-worm-but-they/#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 } } ] } ```