Painterly green sapling growing through the centre of a weathered tree stump.

Original artwork, not a still

Michele de Montaigne

If you don't know how to die, don't worry; Nature will tell you what to do on the spot, fully and adequately. She will do this job perfectly for you; don't bother your head about it.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker reassures the reader that knowing how to die is unnecessary. Nature will provide instruction at the moment it is needed, completely and competently, so no advance worrying is called for. Dying is presented as a task handled for us, not one we must study.

Context reviewed

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