“To lend money without interest, is certainly an action laudable and extremely good; but it is obvious, that it is only a counsel of religion, and not a civil law.”

In a republic there is no coercive force as in other governments, the laws must therefore endeavor to supply this defect.

What cowardice it is to be dismayed by the happiness of others and devastated by there good fortune.

In republican governments, men are all equal; equal they are also in despotic governments: in the former, because they are everything; in the latter, because they are nothing.

There is hardly any grief that an hour’s reading will not dissipate.

There are countries where a man is worth nothing; there are others where he is worth less than nothing.

An injustice committed against anyone is a threat to everyone.

Virtue in a republic is the love of one’s country, that is the love of equality.

There is still another inconvenieney in conquests made by democracies; their government is ever odious to the conquered states. It is apparently monarchical, but in reality it is more oppressive than monarchy, as the experience of all ages and countries evinces.

Solemnity is the shield of idiots

Great commanders write their actions with simplicity; because they receive more glory from facts than from words.

Life was given to me as a favor, so I may abandon it when it is one no longer.

The English are busy; they don’t have time to be polite.

Each particular society begins to feel its strength, whence arises a state of war between different nations.

The crime against nature will never make any great progress in society unless people are prompted to it by some particular custom.

Certain kinds of foolishness are such that a greater foolishness would be better.

The majority of men are more capable of great actions than of good ones.

The banks are not lending, at least from what I see. They were so wild and reckless back in the good times that they got burned terribly.