“Almost all men die of the weariness of being themselves.”Nicolas Chamfort · Maxime și cugetări · 1795 · Maxima 2
The most exhausting work is staying yourself, without pause and without a substitute.
Chamfort observes that identity is work without pause: the same flaws to admit, the same weaknesses to hide, the same character to sustain. That is why people flee into distractions, drink, new roles, anything that interrupts contact with themselves. The weariness comes not from external hardships but from the fact that we cannot step out of our own skin, even at night.
Why it matters It resonates in an age of endless distraction: we flee ourselves and call it rest.