Baron de la Brede et de Montesquieu
France
18 Jan 1689 // 10 Feb 1755
Political Philosopher
18 Jan 1689 // 10 Feb 1755
Political Philosopher
Quotes
<< Prev Next >>
The spirit of moderation should also be the spirit of the lawgiver
The severity of the laws prevents their execution
It is always the adventurers who do great things, not the sovereigns of great empires
I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve
Friendship is an arrangement by which we undertake to exchange small favors for big ones
An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations
The success of most things depends upon knowing how long it will take to succeed
Men, who are rogues individually, are in the mass very honorable people
Society is the union of men and not the men themselves
The deterioration of a government begins almost always by the decay of its principles
Search
On Anger: "For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind."
Essays
Essays
On Destiny: "Our destiny exercises its influence over us even when, as yet, we have not learned its nature: it is our future that lays down the law of our today."
Human, All Too Human
Human, All Too Human
On Friendship: "A crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love."
Essays
Essays