Chapter 20
The Power of Imagination
OF THE FORCE OF IMAGINATION “Fortis imaginatio generat casum,” say the schoolmen. [“A strong imagination begets the event itself.”--Axiom. Scholast.] I am one of those who are most sensible of the power of imagination: every one is jostled by it, but some are overthrown by it. It has a very piercing impression upon me; and I make it my business to avoid, wanting force to resist it. I could live by the sole help of healthful and jolly company: the very sight of another’s pain materially pains me, and I often usurp the sensations of another person. A perpetual cough…
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Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"strong imagination begets the event itself."
Context: Opening axiom
Belief can materialize outcomes.
In Today's Words:
The schoolmen's axiom, quoted here, says strong imagination begets the event itself. Montaigne spends the essay proving it with bodies, not metaphysics or magic. When you keep rehearsing disaster before a meeting or exam, notice whether you are predicting the future or training your nerves to produce it.
"I often usurp the sensations of another person."
Context: His sympathetic sensitivity
Imagination imports foreign pain.
In Today's Words:
Montaigne says he often usurp the sensations of another person; another's cough tickles his throat. That is imagination as contagion before any theory is needed. In hospitals or hard meetings, guard how much secondhand panic you absorb before it becomes your own symptom and your own story.
"flat plate of gold, whereon were graven some celestial figures, supposed good against sunstroke or pains in the head, being applied to the suture: where, that it might the better remain firm, it was sewed to a ribbon to be tied under the chin; a foppery cousin-german to this of which I am speaking."
Context: Wedding-night charm for the Count
Ritual calms performance terror.
In Today's Words:
Montaigne describes a gold plate with celestial figures he sewed to a ribbon to fake a charm for a bridegroom terrified of sorcery. The theater worked because belief needed props and a script. Honest preparation and a frank confession can do the same without lying to yourself or the person you trust.
"infected body communicates its malady to those that approach or live near it, as we see in the plague, the smallpox, and sore eyes, that run through whole families and cities:-- “Dum spectant oculi laesos, laeduntur et ipsi; Multaque corporibus transitione nocent."
Context: Imagination spreading like plague
Mental states cross persons.
In Today's Words:
Montaigne compares imagination to plague: an infected body communicates its malady to those nearby. Fear and fancy can jump rooms the same way a cough does. When one person spirals, check whether the group is catching a story or a real threat before everyone acts on the mood alone.
Thematic Threads
Mind-Body Connection
In This Chapter
Montaigne demonstrates how imagination creates physical symptoms and cures
Development
Introduced here
In Your Life:
Your stress about a health issue might be making the symptoms worse.
Social Performance
In This Chapter
Sexual performance anxiety creates the dysfunction it fears through mental pressure
Development
Introduced here
In Your Life:
Worrying about how you'll perform in social situations often makes you perform worse.
Authority and Healing
In This Chapter
Doctors use rituals and confidence to activate patients' healing imagination
Development
Introduced here
In Your Life:
The bedside manner of your healthcare providers affects your actual recovery.
Personal Vulnerability
In This Chapter
Montaigne admits his own susceptibility to imagination's power
Development
Introduced here
In Your Life:
Acknowledging your mental patterns gives you power over them instead of being controlled by them.
Practical Psychology
In This Chapter
Understanding how expectation works gives tools for managing it
Development
Introduced here
In Your Life:
You can use positive visualization and mental preparation as practical life skills.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
What does Montaigne mean when he says imagination can 'give fevers and sometimes kill' those who allow it too much scope?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
He argues that strong mental states can create real physical effects. When we deeply believe something will happen to our bodies, that belief can actually make it occur.
- 2
Why does Montaigne's fake gold charm cure his friend's sexual performance anxiety when it has no real magical power?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
The charm works because it gives his friend confidence and breaks the cycle of fearful expectation. Sometimes believing in a solution creates the solution itself.
- 3
Where do you see Montaigne's 'expectation trap' playing out in modern medical or athletic performance?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Athletes who psych themselves out before big games often perform poorly, while placebo effects show patients improving from fake treatments. Our minds shape our physical reality.
- 4
How would you apply Montaigne's insight about honest communication to help someone overcome a fear-based performance problem?
application • deepOne way to read it
Like his friend who confessed his anxiety beforehand, openly discussing fears with trusted people can reduce their power. Naming the fear often diminishes its grip on us.
- 5
What does Montaigne's emphasis on imagination's physical power reveal about the relationship between mind and body?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
He shows they're not separate but deeply interconnected. Our mental states don't just reflect our physical condition but actively shape it, making psychology a form of medicine.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Track Your Expectation Cycles
Think of a situation where you regularly expect things to go wrong - maybe giving presentations, having difficult conversations, or trying something new. Write down the specific thoughts that run through your head beforehand, then trace how those thoughts might be creating the very outcomes you fear. Finally, rewrite your mental script with more helpful expectations.
Consider:
- •Notice the physical sensations that come with negative expectations - tension, shallow breathing, racing heart
- •Consider how your expectations might change your behavior in ways that sabotage success
- •Remember that changing your mental script isn't about fake positivity but about realistic confidence
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when your expectations - positive or negative - seemed to create exactly what you predicted would happen. What does this teach you about the power of your own mind?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 21: One Person's Gain, Another's Loss
After imagination's tricks, Montaigne asks a colder economic truth. He will show how merchants, lawyers, and physicians profit by another's loss, and whether any gain escapes that rule.
