Montaigne lived in a time when he said he often lay down, unsure if he would be killed that night, and his philosophy was: being prepared is everything, even for such a fate. Such a fate could also befall us; we might also need such a philosophy. But let it be as it may. It is never out of place, in a world where we must allow ourselves to be consumed like machine parts, to get to know a complete human being. It is never out of place to make the acquaintance of a fundamentally wise, honest, lovable, and magnificent man. This was written by Paul Sakmann at the end of 1932 in his introduction to the Montaigne volume intended for the Montaigne Year 1933; this tribute was reprinted unchanged even in 1939. The beautiful translation by Paul Sakmann wonderfully captures the tone of Montaigne.