What man loses by the social contract is his natural liberty and an unlimited right to everything he tries to get and succeeds in getting; what he ga….

Who does not sufficiently hate vice, does not sufficiently love virtue..

Coercion created slavery, the cowardice of the slaves perpetuated it..

They must know but little of mankind who can imagine that, after they have been once seduced by luxury, they can ever renounce it..

Each State can have for enemies only other States, and not men; for between things disparate in nature there can be no real relation..

The right of conquest has no foundation other than the right of the strongest..

As soon as public service ceases to be the chief business of the citizens, and they would rather serve with their money than with their persons, the ….

Astronomy was born of superstition; eloquence of ambition, hatred, falsehood, and flattery; geometry of avarice; physics of an idle curiosity; and ev….

Old men grasp more at life than babies, and leave it with a much worse grace than young people. It is because all their labours having been for this ….

The less reasonable a cult is, the more men seek to establish it by force..

Youth is the time to study wisdom; old age is the time to practice it..

If you have but a single ruler, you lie at the discretion of a master who has no reason to love you: and if you have several, you must bear at once t….

Every artist loves applause. The praise of his contemporaries is the most valuable part of his recompense..

It should be remembered that the foundation of the social contract is property; and its first condition, that every one should be maintained in the p….

Do we wish men to be virtuous? Then let us begin by making them love their country..

To reign by opinion, begin by trampling it under your feet..

Readiness of speech is often inability to hold the tongue..

Truth is no road to fortune..

Were there a people of gods, their government would be democratic. So perfect a government is not for men..

Men always love what is good or what they find good; it is in judging what is good that they go wrong..

The Catholic must adopt the decision handed down to him; the Protestant must learn to decide for himself..