Q0050
“What do I know?” — Michel de Montaigne (Essays (motto; cf. II.12))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Essays (motto; cf. II.12). Theme: knowledge.
English
What do I know?
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Essays (motto; cf. II.12) and files it under Renaissance Humanism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Michel de Montaigne
Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) invented the modern essay as a form of self-study, combining classical learning with skeptical inquiry into custom and certainty.
How to read this passage
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, humility, inquiry.
Concepts in this quote
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Humility
- Humility appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat humility as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Inquiry
- Inquiry is the disciplined pursuit of better questions and answers—philosophy as method rather than dogma.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Michel de Montaigne. (n.d.). What do I know? In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0050
MLA: Michel de Montaigne. “What do I know?.” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0050.
Chicago: Michel de Montaigne. “What do I know?.” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0050.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “What do I know?”?
The passage is attributed to Michel de Montaigne, Essays (motto; cf. II.12). The archive attributes this English wording to Essays (motto; cf. II.12) and files it under Renaissance Humanism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Michel de Montaigne mean by knowledge?
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, humility, inquiry.