Victime d'une « gravelle » infiniment douloureuse, c'est par stoïcisme mais aussi par épicurisme, afin de mieux maîtriser ses douleurs, que Montaigne tente une quête lucide et réfléchie d'un « mieux souffrir ».

Ainsi, nous laisse-t-il sur la douleur des messages essentiels concernant

Victim of an infinitely painful condition 17 ^th century authors called “gravel” (renal lithiasis), Montaigne relied on stoicism, and epicurism, in his lucid search for “well-suffering”, leaving us some essential messages concerning pain

• struggling with pain is an art to practice in a half-stoic half-wise manner,
• the problem is time, the chronicity of pain: “ Anything for a sudden effort, nothing forever ”;
• psychic integrity, self-reliance, and self-dignity must be maintained: “ Why worry if our arms are twisted, as long as our thoughts are straight?
• pain arising from a benign cause is easier to bear.

Montaigne also described the inefficacy of the remedies he tried, recalling to us the inestimable value of modern therapeutic progress, at least for physical pain... and for the citizens of this planet who are lucky enough to have access.