When the body of the people is possessed of the supreme power, it is called a democracy. — Charles Louis De Secondat
As soon as man enters into a state of society he loses the sense of his weakness; — Charles Louis De Secondat
But constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it — Charles Louis De Secondat
Each particular society begins to feel its strength, whence arises a state of war between different nations. — Charles Louis De Secondat
Do you think that God will punish them for not practicing a religion which he did not reveal to them? — Charles Louis De Secondat
I have always observed that to succeed in the world one should appear like a fool but be wise. — Charles Louis De Secondat
I have read descriptions of paradise that would make any sensible person stop wanting to go there. — Charles Louis De Secondat
Law in general is human reason, inasmuch as it governs all the inhabitants of the earth: — Charles Louis De Secondat
Life was given to me as a favor, so I may abandon it when it is one no longer. — Charles Louis De Secondat
Man, as a physical being, is like other bodies governed by invariable laws. — Charles Louis De Secondat
Not to be loved is a misfortune, but it is an insult to be loved no longer. — Charles Louis De Secondat
Raillery is a mode of speaking in favor of one’s wit at the expense of one’s better nature. — Charles Louis De Secondat
Religious wars are not caused by the fact that there is more than one religion — Charles Louis De Secondat
The deterioration of a government begins almost always by the decay of its principles. — Charles Louis De Secondat
The object of war is victory; that of victory is conquest; and that of conquest preservation. — Charles Louis De Secondat
The success of most things depends upon knowing how long it will take to succeed. — Charles Louis De Secondat
There are three species of government: republican, monarchical, and despotic. — Charles Louis De Secondat
There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice. — Charles Louis De Secondat
They who assert that a blind fatality produced the various effects we behold in this world talk very absurdly; — Charles Louis De Secondat
We must have constantly present in our minds the difference between independence and liberty. — Charles Louis De Secondat
