--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To make a crooked stick straight, we bend…" description: "\"To make a crooked stick straight, we bend it the contrary way.\" — Michel de Montaigne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/michel-de-montaigne-142_contrary_to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend_1321011.jpg" --- # To make a crooked stick straight, we bend it the contrary… ![“To make a crooked stick straight, we bend it the contrary way.” quote by Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/michel-de-montaigne-142_contrary_to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend_1321011.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/michel-de-montaigne-142_contrary_to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend_1321011.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/michel-de-montaigne-142_contrary_to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend_1321011.jpg) > “To make a crooked stick straight, we bend it the contrary way.” [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. Changing direction can correct a flaw; confronting a problem from the opposite side can resolve it. **In simple terms:** Fix problems by approaching them differently. Key Takeaway Try an opposite approach. Themes problem solving adaptability perspective Mood thoughtful strategic Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - personal growth - conflict resolution - creative projects - technical troubleshooting Key Concepts contrary method reversal flexibility Questions to Reflect On - What could you reverse to improve a current issue? - When does a direct fix fail? A Different Perspective Opposite tactics may not address underlying causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bend Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bend-contrary-4403305/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Crooked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crooked/) [Crooked Stick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crooked-stick-2019349/) [Make Crooked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-crooked-1715874/) [Reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reform/) [Stick Straight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stick-straight-2104808/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [There is the need for someone against which our characters can measure themselves. Without a ruler, you won't make the crooked straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-the-need-for-someone-against-which-our-characters-can/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [When you acknowledge God, He will go before you and make the crooked places straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/when-you-acknowledge-god-he-will-go-before-you-and-make-the-crooked/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [If a crooked stick is before you, you need not explain how crooked it is. Lay a straight one down by the side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-a-crooked-stick-is-before-you-you-need-not-explain-how-crooked-it/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [He that rectifies a crooked stick bends it the contrary way, so must he that would reform a vice learn to affect its mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-chamberlain/he-that-rectifies-a-crooked-stick-bends-it-the-contrary-way-so-must/) [Roger Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-chamberlain/) > [God can give a straight blow with a crooked stick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrie-ten-boom/god-can-give-a-straight-blow-with-a-crooked-stick/) [Corrie Ten Boom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrie-ten-boom/) > [Shine it up real nice, turn it sideways, and stick it straight up your candy ass!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/shine-it-up-real-nice-turn-it-sideways-and-stick-it-straight-up-your/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [I'm actually so low maintenance when it comes to my hair. It's naturally stick-straight, but I do like to use a curling iron to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-osnes/i-m-actually-so-low-maintenance-when-it-comes-to-my-hair-it-s/) [Laura Osnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-osnes/) > [“My rule of thumb for hitchhiking is: stick it up straight and proud and make if visible to all drivers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/my-rule-of-thumb-for-hitchhiking-is-stick-it-up-straight-and-proud/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I would like to suggest that our minds are swamped by too much study and by too much matter just as plants are swamped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/i-would-like-to-suggest-that-our-minds-are-swamped-by-too-much-study/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [If falsehood, like truth, had but one face, we would be more on equal terms. For we would consider the contrary of what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/if-falsehood-like-truth-had-but-one-face-we-would-be-more-on-equal/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The habit of taking the line of least resistance makes all rivers and some men crooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-habit-of-taking-the-line-of-least-resistance-makes-all-rivers-and/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [When I meet a new person, something has to be a little off for me to consider them beautiful. It could be crooked teeth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/when-i-meet-a-new-person-something-has-to-be-a-little-off-for-me-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [I have crooked toes from wearing boots that didn't fit me because that's all I could afford as a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lomu/i-have-crooked-toes-from-wearing-boots-that-didn-t-fit-me-because/) [Jonah Lomu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lomu/) > [Hey Sydney," she said, giving me a small, crooked smile as she entered the room. Her flashing, dark eyes were friendly, but they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/hey-sydney-she-said-giving-me-a-small-crooked-smile-as-she-entered/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) ## 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 Contrary quotes > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) [James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/) > [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [No truly conscious human being sabotages himself - it's impossible, because it's contrary to Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/no-truly-conscious-human-being-sabotages-himself-it-s-impossible/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [If you abide in the love of Christ, rooted in the faith, you will encounter, even amid setbacks and suffering, the source of true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/if-you-abide-in-the-love-of-christ-rooted-in-the-faith-you-will/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [There is no real elevation of mind in a contempt of little things; it is, on the contrary, from too narrow views that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/there-is-no-real-elevation-of-mind-in-a-contempt-of-little-things-it/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [There is, in fact, nothing about religious opinions that entitles them to any more respect than other opinions get. On the contrary, they tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-is-in-fact-nothing-about-religious-opinions-that-entitles-them/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I am not Christ or a philanthropist, old lady, I am all the contrary of a Christ I fight for the things I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/i-am-not-christ-or-a-philanthropist-old-lady-i-am-all-the-contrary-of/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [“Do they think that they have given us great pleasure by telling us that they hold our soul to be no more than wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/do-they-think-that-they-have-given-us-great-pleasure-by-telling-us/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [God has given this way of life to Israel: to abstain from everything which is contrary to nature, that is to say, anger, fits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poemen/god-has-given-this-way-of-life-to-israel-to-abstain-from-everything/) [Poemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poemen/) > [ We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. \[This is\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theory-has-been-accepted-as-fact/) [Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/) > [Christianity, righty understood, is utterly unlike religion that man invents. It is so completely contrary to the way man does things that it must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-halverson/christianity-righty-understood-is-utterly-unlike-religion-that-man/) [Richard Halverson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-halverson/) [Browse all 1,589 Contrary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To make a crooked stick straight, we bend it the contrary way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michel de Montaigne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend-it-the-contrary-way/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contrary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend-it-the-contrary-way/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/michel-de-montaigne-142_contrary_to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend_1321011.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/michel-de-montaigne-142_contrary_to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend_1321011.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/michel-de-montaigne-142_contrary_to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend_1321011.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To make a crooked stick straight, we bend it the contrary way.” — 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": "To make a crooked stick straight,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend-it-the-contrary-way/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/to-make-a-crooked-stick-straight-we-bend-it-the-contrary-way/#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 } } ] } ```