If we only wanted to be happy, it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, and that is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are.
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.
Although born in a prosperous realm, we did not believe that its boundaries should limit our knowledge, and that the lore of the East should alone enlighten us.
There is only one thing that can form a bond between men, and that is gratitude… we cannot give someone else greater power over us than we have ourselves.
![Baron de Montesquieu Quote - When the [law making] and [law enforcement] powers are united in the same person… there can be no liberty.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/when-the-law-making-and-law-enforcement-powers-are-683x1024.jpg)
