The state is the association of men, and not men themselves; the citizen may perish, and the man remain.
BARON DE MONTESQUIEUBetter it is to say that the government most comfortable to nature is that which best agrees with the humor and disposition of the people in whose favor it is established.
More Baron de Montesquieu Quotes
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Nature is just to all mankind, and repays them for their industry. She renders them industrious by annexing rewards in proportion to their labor.
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It is rare to find learned men who are clean, do not stink and have a sense of humour.
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Wonderful maxim: not to talk of things any more after they are done.
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Mediocrity is a hand-rail.
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There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.
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When a government lasts a long while, it deteriorates by insensible degrees. Republics end through luxury, monarchies through poverty.
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Honor sets all the parts of the body politic in motion, and by its very action connects them; thus each individual advances the public good, while he only thinks of promoting his own interest.
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In a republic there is no coercive force as in other governments, the laws must therefore endeavor to supply this defect.
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An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations.
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Talent is a gift which God has given us secretly, and which we reveal without perceiving it.
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In the matter of dress one should always keep below one’s ability.
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Never create by law what can be accomplished by morality.
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Human laws made to direct the will ought to give precepts, and not counsels.
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The less luxury there is in a republic, the more it is perfect.
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A fondness for reading changes the inevitable dull hours of our life into exquisite hours of delight.
BARON DE MONTESQUIEU