Far from being purely gratuitous, rhetoric in Valéry’s critical discourse represents a theoretical necessity : the place of “I”, the taming of consciousness’“ vagueness”, the rigorous definition of issues. Beneath their academic veneer, Valéry’s public texts echo with precision the preoccupations of manuscripts from the Cahiers/Notebooks such as Mémoire sur l’attention (Notes on Attention) or the Essai sur le mortel (On Being Mortal) : mathematical calculations and reflections on value or death are their hidden foundation.