Montaigne is said to have withdrawn from public life in order to find himself in the Essays. But if this were true, then Montaigne would have indulged a greater vanity than any he had encountered in public life. Fortunately, he knew himself better than to attempt the life of a literary recluse. For he knew that he was by nature given to society and friendship. Indeed, he considered himself nothing apart from France, and less than half of that beautiful friendship with La Boétie, whom it was his sorrow to survive:

What we know of the political and religious conflicts of his times, and how they troubled Montaigne, makes it reasonable to assume that he needed to retire from the violence and treachery of political life to find himself. When we recall how dearly he loved La Boétie, we might well believe that the rest of the world could only disappoint him, and that he would yearn for the seclusion of his study to cultivate his love of the virtues impressed upon him by his friend. But we know that Montaigne served his king faithfully, that he loved La Boétie and died a Catholic. In short, we know that despite the troubles of sixteenth-century France, despite the bitter religious struggles between Catholics and Protestants, and the terrible strains that these events placed upon men's principles, corrupting their thoughts and deeds and brutalising their actions, Montaigne nevertheless gave himself to public life and preserved in himself the capacity for self-inquiry.