It is the mind that maketh good or ill, That maketh wretch or

"It is the mind that maketh good or ill, that maketh wretch or happy, rich or poor." Thus wrote Michel de Montaigne, the philosopher of France, whose meditations upon the human spirit rival the wisdom of the ancients. His words unveil a truth that lies not in gold, nor in fate, nor in circumstance, but in the dominion of the mind. For life is shaped not so much by what befalls us, but by how we perceive and bear it.

The ancients proclaimed the same. The Stoics taught that the soul is sovereign over fortune. Epictetus, born a slave, declared that though chains may bind the body, they cannot shackle the mind. In this sovereignty lies the secret of happiness and misery alike. A man may dwell in a palace yet be tormented by envy, while another may sleep upon the ground and rise with joy, for the mind makes rich or poor, blessed or cursed.

History reveals this lesson in the life of Viktor Frankl, who endured the horrors of the concentration camps. Surrounded by death and stripped of every earthly comfort, he found within his mind the freedom no tyrant could touch—the freedom to choose his attitude. While many perished in despair, Frankl lived by hope and purpose, teaching that even in suffering, man can find meaning. Thus the mind became his fortress, turning hell into a place of revelation.

So too can kingdoms rise or fall within the secret chambers of thought. Alexander conquered the world but could not conquer his own restless mind, and so he died unsatisfied. Meanwhile, sages who possessed little ruled themselves with such harmony that they were richer than kings. Montaigne reminds us that the greatest empire to govern is not land or people, but the realm of one’s own mind.

Therefore, let this teaching endure: do not measure wealth in coins, nor happiness in fleeting pleasures, nor misery in outward loss. It is the mind that gives all things their weight. Train it to see light in the shadows, hope in despair, and peace amid the storm, and you will carry within yourself a kingdom that no enemy can besiege. For the true measure of man is not in what he holds, but in how his mind beholds the world.