Montaigne

Retiring to a tower on his estate near Bordeaux, Montaigne began writing what he called essais, attempts, turning his attention on himself with unprecedented candor. What do I know, he asked, and found that the more he examined his certainties the more they dissolved, leaving custom, fear, and habit where he had expected reason. His revived skepticism became a school of tolerance and self-knowledge: suspend your confidence, watch your own mind, and judge others gently. Descartes set out to defeat the doubt Montaigne had made fashionable, and modern prose has never stopped imitating his voice.