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What good is it looking for our happiness in the opinion of others if we can find it in ourselves?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

If there were a nation of Gods, it would govern itself democratically. A government so perfect is not suited to men.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Democracy God Government Nation Perfection
Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Nature Ourselves Perspective
Being wealthy isn’t just a question of having lots of money. It’s a question of what we want. Wealth isn’t an absolute, it’s relative to desire. Every time we seek something that we can’t afford, we can be counted as poor, how much money we may actually have.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Desire Money Philosophy Rich Seek Time
There is peace in dungeons, but is that enough to make dungeons desirable?
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Deep Desire Enough Need Peace Prison
The people of England regards itself as free; but it is grossly mistaken; it is free only during the election of members of parliament. As soon as they are elected, slavery overtakes it, and it is nothing.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Freedom Mistake People Regard Slave
In any real democracy, magistracy isn’t a benefit—it’s a burdensome responsibility that can’t fairly be imposed on one individual rather than another.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Democracy Reality Responsibility
Quit thy childhood, my friend, and wake up!
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Children Friendship Myself Quit Wake Up
All my misfortunes come of having thought too well of my fellows.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Misfortune Myself Thinking Trust
I hate books; they only teach us to talk about things we know nothing about.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Hate Myself Talk Teaching
Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains. Those who think themselves the masters of others are indeed greater slaves than they.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Born Freedom Greatness Man Philosophy Thinking
In truth, laws are always useful to those with possessions and harmful to those who have nothing; from which it follows that the social state is advantageous to men only when all possess something and none has too much.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Law Man Material Truth
What wisdom can you find greater than kindness.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Greatness Kindness Wisdom
The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying ‘this is mine’, and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Believe Enough Greatness Himself People Pieces Reality Simplicity
People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Greatness People Philosophy Talk
To do is to be.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Action One Liner
I feel an indescribable ecstasy and delirium in melting, as it were, into the system of being, in identifying myself with the whole of nature..
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Feeling Happiness Identify Myself Nature