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Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.

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Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the Maker of the world, but degenerates once it gets into the hands of man

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From this moment there would be no question of virtue or morality; for despotism cui ex honesto nulla est spes, wherever it prevails, admits no other ...more

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The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said "This is mine," and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder ...more

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Government in its infancy had no regular and permanent form. For want of a sufficient fund of philosophy and experience, men could see no further than...more

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Happy am I, for every time I meditate on governments, I always find new reasons in my inquiries for loving my own country.

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I ask: which of the two, civil or natural life, is more likely to become insufferable to those who live it? We see about us practically no people who ...more

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Our will is always for our own good, but we do not always see what that is; the people is never corrupted, but it is often deceived..." (Bk2:3)

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What, then, is the government? An intermediary body established between the subjects and the sovereign for their mutual communication, a body charged ...more

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Liberty may be gained, but can never be recovered." (Bk2:8)

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As soon as any man says of the affairs of the State "What does it matter to me?" the State may be given up for lost.

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In any case, frequent punishments are a sign of weakness or slackness in the government. There is no man so bad that he cannot be made good for someth...more