Montaigne on Ethics
“There is no one but yourself who knows whether you are cowardly and cruel, or loyal and devout. Others do not see you, they guess at you by uncertain conjectures; they see not so much your nature as your art. Therefore do not cling to their judgment; cling to your own. You must use your own judgment…With regard to virtues and vices, your own conscience has great weight; take that away, and everything falls [Cicero].”
Michel de Montaigne, “Of Repentance,” Essays (trans. Donald Frame)