How to Live

Name: How to Live
ISBN: 1590514831

A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer

by Sarah Bakewell · first published 2010

9mentions

7recommended by

7HN commenters

2011–2024first – last mentioned

100% recommend

Why HN recommends it

Lively, readable introduction to Montaigne's life and essays that also shows how philosophy can apply to everyday living; recommended as a starting point for newcomers to philosophy or to the Essais.

Summarised by Claude from recommending comments

Biography & Memoir

How to get on well with people, how to deal with violence, how to adjust to losing someone you love--such questions arise in most people's lives. They are all versions of a bigger question: how do you live? How do you do the good or honourable thing, while flourishing and feeling happy? This question obsessed Renaissance writers, none more than Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-92), perhaps the first truly modern individual. A nobleman, public official, and wine-grower, he wrote free-roaming explorations of his thought and experience, unlike anything written before. He called them 'essays',

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Mentions per year

What Hacker News says

onion2k · Apr 24, 2016 · Recommends

I would really recommend reading "How to Live: A Life of Montaigne" by Sarah Bakewell, "The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" by the Dalai Lama, and "The Consolations of Philosophy" by Alain De Botton. They're not about being a "powerful…
on “Ask HN: How to become a more powerful man?” ↗
I_complete_me · Oct 17, 2022 · Recommends

…Kazuo Ishiguro The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan The Endurance by Carloine Alexander How To Live by Sarah Bakewell (Life of Montaigne) Now Way Down by Graham Bowley The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall How to be a Liberal by Ian Dunt Short Stories…
on “Ask HN: Which are the most interesting books you have read in 2022?” ↗
bambax · Dec 27, 2011 · Recommends

…mention two books because I can't decide which is greatest (they're very different): - The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (often quoted here, and rightly so; it's short and really really great) - How to Live, or A life of Montaigne by Sarah Bakewell (a fantastic take on Montaigne's essays by a contemporary scholar with a refreshing take on everything).
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011” ↗
pivic · Mar 26, 2021 · Recommends

A couple of books that changed my life: Sarah Bakewell's 'How To Live: A Life of Montaigne': https://sarahbakewell.com/books-3/how-to-live-a-life-of-mont... - the book started my journey into philosophy. Montaigne's life is extraordinary, mainly in how he was the first…
on “Ask HN: Which book/essay changed your life?” ↗
a_bonobo · Dec 21, 2015 · Recommends

…interview with Herzog on his life and his craft, extremely passionate. There are so many minor stories and bits of wisdom that positively influenced my outlook on humanity and the work I do. - Bakewell's How To Live: If you don't have time or leisure to read Montaigne's Essais (I'm still not finished with those), Bakewell's book is a bit of a primer/summary of Montaigne's lessons interwoven with Montaigne's life.…
on “YC's 2015 Reading List” ↗
onion2k · Jul 12, 2016 · Recommends

Anything by Alain De Botton but especially "Consollations of Philosophy" and "Status Anxiety", "How To Live: Micheal De Montaigne" by Sarah Bakewell, and "Philosophy for Life" by Jules Evans. None of them are hardcore academic works; they're just really interesting introductions to how philosophy can actually…
on “Ask HN: What's your favorite way to save money?” ↗
jschveibinz · May 12, 2022 · Recommends

I highly recommend “How to Live, or a Life of Montaigne” by Sarah Bakewell. The book follows the life of the French nobleman of the 1500’s who was a wine grower, philosopher, and essayist named Michel Eyquem de Montaigne. The book…
on “Ask HN: What are some good inspirational and uplifting books?” ↗
pinewurst · May 24, 2023 · Recommends

As an intro to Montaigne and his world, try the excellent "How to Live" by Sarah Bakewell
on “Michel de Montaigne” ↗
bambax · Dec 22, 2024 · Recommends

This book How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in one question and twenty, by Sarah Bakewell (2011) is an incredible introduction to Montaigne. I greatly enjoyed it and recommend it fondly to anyone's interested in the man or…
on “The essays of Michel de Montaigne online” ↗