"If we put man on the pan of the scale, isn't it strange that he is the only one who is not valued by his own measure? The horse is praised for its strength and endurance, but never for the beauty of its harness. A hound for its speed and not its collar or leash, a bird for its wings and not its bells. I wonder why we don't value man for his only property? Why only for his car, his shiny palace, his credit, the size of his income, when all these are just things that surround him and do not show the content of his soul?
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Author
Michel de MontaigneAll Translations
All Translations
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If we put man on the pan of the scale, isn't it strange that he is the only one who is not valued by his own measure? The horse is praised for its strength and endurance, but never for the beauty of its harness. A hound for its speed and not its collar or leash, a bird for its wings and not its bells. I wonder why we don't value man for his only property? Why only for his car, his shiny palace, his credit, the size of his income, when all these are just things that surround him and do not show the content of his soul?
""Ha az embert tesszük a mérleg serpenyőjére, nem furcsa-e, hogy ő az egyetlen, akit nem saját mértékével becsülünk fel? A lovat erejéért és kitartásáért, de sohasem hámja szépségéért dicsérik. Az agarat gyorsaságáért és nem nyakörvéért vagy szíjáért, a madarat szárnyáért és nem csengőiért. Vajon miért nem becsüljük az embert egyedüli tulajdonáért? Miért csak a kocsijáért, fényes palotájáért, hiteléért, jövedelme nagyságáért, amikor mindez csupán olyan dolog, amely körülveszi és nem lelke tartalmát mutatja?"