I have been a huge fan of Michel de Montaigne, a down to earth Philosopher who invented the modern essay in the late 1500's, from France. His words always brighten my life. I'm going to share some of his works, in parts on GFY, because frankly there's just not enough intelligent discussion here now is there.
Bio from Wikipedia -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_de_Montaigne
Michel Eyquem de Montaigne-Delecroix (IPA pronunciation: [miʃɛl ekɛm də mɔ̃tɛɲ]) (February 28, 1533–September 13, 1592) was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance. Montaigne is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. He became famous for his effortless ability to merge serious intellectual speculation with casual anecdotes and autobiography — and his massive volume Essais (translated literally as "Attempts") contains, to this day, some of the most widely influential essays ever written. Montaigne had a direct influence on writers the world over, from William Shakespeare to Ralph Waldo Emerson, from Friedrich Nietzsche to Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Following up with an Essay