Patience patience quotes is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
In the strict sense of the term, a true democracy has never existed, and never will exist.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Rousseau suggests that a perfect democracy is unattainable, both in the past and future.
In this quote, Jean-Jacques Rousseau expresses a profound skepticism regarding the concept of true democracy, indicating that it has never been genuinely realized and is unlikely to ever materialize. He critiques the nature of democratic systems, perhaps implying that human flaws, societal complexity, and varying interests make it impossible to achieve a perfect democratic society where every individual's voice is equally heard and valued, thus raising questions about the viability of such ideals in governance.
Themes
DemocracyPhilosophyGovernmentSocietyJustice
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about political systems in a classroom setting.
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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