I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve.
Baron De MontesquieuRead
That anyone who possesses power has a tendency to abuse it is an eternal truth. They tend to go as far as the barriers will allow.
Interpretation
Power can corrupt those who hold it, leading to potential abuse and overreach.
The quote by Baron De Montesquieu highlights a timeless observation about the nature of power: that individuals in positions of authority often have the propensity to misuse their power. It suggests that the capacity for abuse grows with the level of control one possesses, and that society must establish limits and barriers to prevent such overstepping, reminding us of the importance of checks and balances in governance and leadership.
In practice
In a discussion about political accountability, this quote can emphasize the necessity of oversight.
I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve.
Law in general is human reason, inasmuch as it governs all the inhabitants of the earth: the political and civil laws of each nation ought to be only the particular cases in which human reason is applied.
To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.
Love of the republic in a democracy, is a love of the democracy; love of the democracy is that of equality. Love of the democracy is likewise that of frugality.
It is not the young people that degenerate; they are not spoiled till those of mature age are already sunk into corruption.
If you would be holy, instruct your children, because all the good acts they perform will be imputed to you.
My good works, however wretched and imperfect, have been made better and perfected by Him Who is my Lord: He has rendered them meritorious. As to my evil deeds and my sins, He hid them at once. The eyes of those who saw them, He made even blind; and He has blotted them out of their memory.
It is proper to ask for sorrow with Christ in sorrow, anguish with Christ in anguish, tears and deep grief because of the great affliction Christ endures for me.
Nothing is yours. It is to use. It is to share. If you will not share it, you cannot use it.
War is murder. And the military preparations now being made for a potential major confrontation are aimed at collective murder. In a nuclear age the victims would be numbered by the millions. This naked truth must be faced.
We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.
Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.