Montaigne wrote this in the 16th century; what would Montaigne make of our 21st century, when impatience is not only accepted, but revered? A similar anti-bookish blight is spreading across universities, where students read less and less. Perhaps the best way to reverse the global process of democratic backsliding is by instilling the ancient art of patience. Heraclitus, a 5th century BC Greek philosopher, understood that patience is indispensable in forming a good character: “Good character is not formed in a week or a month. Herein lies the paradox: to learn from Tolstoy’s wisdom we must first find the patience to read the 1296 pages of his War and Peace.

Source: Irish Examiner January 14, 2026 08:31 UTC