Summary
Montaigne explores the eternal struggle between reason and desire through historical examples, focusing on how people have tried to control their appetites. He contrasts physical desires, which can be satisfied and managed, with ambitions like power and wealth, which grow stronger when fed. The chapter's centerpiece is Julius Caesar, a man of extraordinary talents who was simultaneously driven by sexual appetite and political ambition. Montaigne shows how Caesar's ambition ultimately dominated his other desires, leading him to greatness but also to the destruction of the Roman Republic. The essay then turns to Spurina, a beautiful young Tuscan who deliberately disfigured his own face to avoid tempting others and causing moral harm. While Montaigne acknowledges the noble intention behind this self-mutilation, he questions its wisdom. He argues that such extreme measures often create new problems - ugliness can inspire hatred or contempt just as beauty inspires lust. The chapter concludes with Montaigne's preference for moderation over extremes, suggesting that learning to live well within society's constraints is more admirable than retreating from them entirely. He advocates for managing our gifts responsibly rather than destroying them, arguing that true virtue lies in maintaining balance amid life's complexities, not in avoiding them through dramatic gestures.
Coming Up in Chapter 90
Next, Montaigne turns his analytical eye to military strategy, examining Julius Caesar's tactical genius and what his approach to warfare reveals about leadership, decision-making, and the art of calculated risk.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
HE STORY OF SPURINA Philosophy thinks she has not ill employed her talent when she has given the sovereignty of the soul and the authority of restraining our appetites to reason. Amongst which, they who judge that there is none more violent than those which spring from love, have this opinion also, that they seize both body and soul, and possess the whole man, so that even health itself depends upon them, and medicine is sometimes constrained to pimp for them; but one might, on the contrary, also say, that the mixture of the body brings an abatement and weakening; for such desires are subject to satiety, and capable of material remedies. Many, being determined to rid their soul from the continual alarms of this appetite, have made use of incision and amputation of the rebelling members; others have subdued their force and ardour by the frequent application of cold things, as snow and vinegar. The sackcloths of our ancestors were for this purpose, which is cloth woven of horse hair, of which some of them made shirts, and others girdles, to torture and correct their reins. A prince, not long ago, told me that in his youth upon a solemn festival in the court of King Francis I., where everybody was finely dressed, he would needs put on his father’s hair shirt, which was still kept in the house; but how great soever his devotion was, he had not patience to wear it till night, and was sick a long time after; adding withal, that he did not think there could be any youthful heat so fierce that the use of this recipe would not mortify, and yet perhaps he never essayed the most violent; for experience shows us, that such emotions are often seen under rude and slovenly clothes, and that a hair shirt does not always render those chaste who wear it. Xenocrates proceeded with greater rigour in this affair; for his disciples, to make trial of his continency, having slipt Lais, that beautiful and famous courtesan, into his bed, quite naked, excepting the arms of her beauty and her wanton allurements, her philters, finding that, in despite of his reason and philosophical rules, his unruly flesh began to mutiny, he caused those members of his to be burned that he found consenting to this rebellion. Whereas the passions which wholly reside in the soul, as ambition, avarice, and the rest, find the reason much more to do, because it cannot there be helped but by its own means; neither are those appetites capable of satiety, but grow sharper and increase by fruition. The sole example of Julius Caesar may suffice to demonstrate to us the disparity of these appetites; for never was man more addicted to amorous delights than he: of which one testimony is the peculiar care he had of his person, to such a degree, as to make use of the most lascivious means to that end then in use, as to have all...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Appetite Management - When Desires Compete for Control
Different desires compete for dominance in our lives, and whichever appetite we feed most consistently becomes our master and shapes our destiny.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize which desires are driving your behavior and predict their long-term consequences.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you feel multiple competing wants—ask yourself which one you're feeding most and where that path typically leads you.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Hair shirt
A rough garment made of coarse animal hair worn against the skin as self-punishment or to suppress physical desires. Medieval Christians used these to mortify the flesh and focus on spiritual matters.
Modern Usage:
We still talk about 'wearing a hair shirt' when someone punishes themselves unnecessarily or makes things harder than they need to be.
Mortification of the flesh
The practice of deliberately causing physical discomfort or pain to control bodily desires and appetites. People believed suffering would make them more spiritual and less driven by physical needs.
Modern Usage:
Today we see this in extreme dieting, over-exercising, or any self-punishment meant to control our impulses.
Stoic philosophy
An ancient philosophy teaching that reason should control emotions and desires. Stoics believed in accepting what you cannot change while working to control your reactions and choices.
Modern Usage:
When someone stays calm under pressure or doesn't let emotions drive their decisions, we call them 'stoic.'
Republican virtue
The Roman ideal that citizens should put the good of the republic above personal gain or pleasure. This meant sacrificing individual desires for the common good and civic duty.
Modern Usage:
We still debate whether politicians and leaders should sacrifice personal interests for public service.
Ambition vs. appetite
Montaigne distinguishes between physical desires that can be satisfied and ambitions for power or status that only grow stronger when fed. Physical hunger ends when you eat; hunger for power never does.
Modern Usage:
We see this in workaholics who can never get enough success or social media addicts who need more and more validation.
Self-mutilation as virtue
The ancient practice of deliberately harming or disfiguring oneself to avoid temptation or prevent causing harm to others. Some viewed this as the highest form of moral behavior.
Modern Usage:
Today we might see this in people who completely isolate themselves from situations rather than learning to handle them responsibly.
Characters in This Chapter
Julius Caesar
Historical example of unchecked ambition
Montaigne uses Caesar to show how a brilliant man can be driven by both sexual appetite and political ambition, with ambition ultimately winning. Caesar's greatness came at the cost of destroying the Roman Republic.
Modern Equivalent:
The brilliant CEO who destroys their company chasing bigger deals
Spurina
Example of extreme self-control
A beautiful young Tuscan man who deliberately cut up his own face to avoid tempting others and causing moral harm. Montaigne questions whether this extreme solution was wise or necessary.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who quits social media entirely instead of learning to use it responsibly
King Francis I
Symbol of courtly excess
The French king whose court represents the world of luxury and temptation that some try to escape through extreme measures. His court is where the prince tried wearing the hair shirt.
Modern Equivalent:
The lifestyle influencer whose glamorous world makes others feel inadequate
The unnamed prince
Example of failed self-discipline
A young courtier who tried to wear his father's hair shirt to a royal celebration but couldn't endure it even one night. Shows how extreme measures often fail when they conflict with our nature.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who starts an extreme diet on Monday and breaks it by Wednesday
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Such desires are subject to satiety, and capable of material remedies"
Context: Montaigne explaining why physical appetites are easier to control than ambitions
This reveals Montaigne's practical understanding that bodily desires have natural limits - you can only eat so much, sleep so much. But desires for power, status, or wealth have no built-in stopping point.
In Today's Words:
Physical needs can actually be satisfied, unlike wanting to be rich or famous
"He had not patience to wear it till night, and was sick a long time after"
Context: Describing the prince who tried to wear a hair shirt to court but couldn't handle it
Montaigne shows how extreme measures often backfire. The prince's attempt at virtue made him physically ill and probably taught him nothing about real self-control.
In Today's Words:
He couldn't even make it through one day and felt terrible afterward
"The mixture of the body brings an abatement and weakening"
Context: Arguing that physical desires are actually weaker because they involve the body
Montaigne suggests that purely mental or spiritual desires are harder to control because they have no physical limits. When your body is involved, exhaustion and satisfaction provide natural brakes.
In Today's Words:
Physical desires burn out, but mental obsessions can go on forever
Thematic Threads
Self-Control
In This Chapter
Montaigne contrasts Caesar's inability to control his ambition with Spurina's extreme self-mutilation to avoid tempting others
Development
Building on earlier discussions of moderation, now examining the spectrum from no control to excessive control
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you swing between letting desires run wild and trying to eliminate them completely, rather than finding middle ground.
Social Responsibility
In This Chapter
Spurina disfigures himself believing his beauty causes moral harm to others who desire him
Development
Introduced here as a new dimension of how our gifts affect others
In Your Life:
You face this when your talents or advantages make others uncomfortable, and you must decide whether to hide them or use them responsibly.
Extremes vs Moderation
In This Chapter
Montaigne critiques both Caesar's unchecked ambition and Spurina's self-destruction, advocating for balanced management of our gifts
Development
Continuing the theme of finding middle paths rather than dramatic solutions
In Your Life:
You encounter this in any situation where the 'all or nothing' approach feels easier than the hard work of finding balance.
Power Dynamics
In This Chapter
Caesar's political appetite ultimately destroys the Roman Republic, showing how personal desires can have massive social consequences
Development
Expanding from personal power struggles to examine how individual appetites affect entire systems
In Your Life:
You see this when someone's unchecked need for control or recognition starts affecting your whole workplace, family, or community.
Identity
In This Chapter
Both Caesar and Spurina define themselves through their dominant characteristics—ambition and beauty respectively—leading to distorted choices
Development
Building on earlier explorations of how we construct our sense of self
In Your Life:
You experience this when you become so identified with one trait or role that you make decisions based on protecting that identity rather than what's actually best.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What's the difference between Caesar's sexual appetite and his political ambition, according to Montaigne?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Montaigne think Spurina's solution of disfiguring himself was problematic, even though his intentions were good?
analysis • medium - 3
Think of someone you know who started with good intentions but let one desire take over their whole life. What appetite grew too strong?
application • medium - 4
When you notice yourself getting obsessed with something—work success, being liked, staying in control—how could you redirect that energy before it consumes everything else?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter suggest about the difference between managing our desires and trying to eliminate them completely?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Competing Appetites
List three things you want right now in different areas of your life. For each one, ask: If I got more of this, would I be satisfied, or would I want even more? Then identify which desire is currently getting most of your time and mental energy. Notice if the hungriest appetite is the one making your important decisions.
Consider:
- •Physical needs (sleep, food, comfort) usually have natural stopping points
- •Status needs (recognition, power, being right) tend to grow when fed
- •The desire you think about most during quiet moments is probably your dominant appetite
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when one desire grew so strong it started affecting other areas of your life. What would you do differently now that you understand how appetites compete?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 90: Caesar's Art of War and Leadership
Next, Montaigne turns his analytical eye to military strategy, examining Julius Caesar's tactical genius and what his approach to warfare reveals about leadership, decision-making, and the art of calculated risk.
