Patience patience quotes is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
The body politic, as well as the human body, begins to die as soon as it is born, and carries itself the causes of its destruction.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the inevitable decline found in both political entities and human life over time.
Rousseau's quote suggests that from the moment a political body is formed, it is already infused with elements that will lead to its decline and eventual demise, similar to the human lifecycle where aging and decay begin at birth. It implies a philosophical contemplation on the nature of existence, governance, and the economic and social forces that dictate the lifespan of institutions and individuals alike.
Themes
PoliticsMortalityDeclineExistencePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a political science lecture discussing the lifecycle of governments.
More from Jean-Jacques Rousseau
All quotes βThe infant, on opening his eyes, ought to see his country, and to the hour of his death never lose sight of it.
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What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?
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O love, if I regret the age when one savors you, it is not for the hour of pleasure, but for the one that follows it.
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Those people who treat politics and morality separately will never understand either of them.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
As evening approached, I came down from the heights of the island, and I liked then to go and sit on the shingle in some secluded spot by the lake; there the noise of the waves and the movement of the water, taking hold of my senses and driving all other agitation from my soul, would plunge me into delicious reverie in which night often stole upon me unawares.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
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