A Bond With No Invoice
Cicero and the younger Pliny beg to be remembered and publish unsent letters to save the labour. Montaigne would rather readers ignore his style than praise the surface and miss the substance. Many relationships are reputation trades. Ask whether someone wants your soul or your applause.
Key Insight
A bond built on performance collapses when the audience leaves. Friendship that needs a memoirist in the room was never private.
“solicit the historians of their time not to forget them in their memoirs”Explore full theme analysis
