What good would it be to possess the whole universe if one were its only survivor?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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

Book Hate Myself Teaching
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
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
Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the Maker of the world, but degenerates once it gets into the hands of man
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Goodness Hands Man
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
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
I am a hundred times happier in my solitude than I could be if I lived among them.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

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

Hate Myself Talk Teaching
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
If we assume man has been corrupted by an artificial civilization, what is the natural state? the state of nature from which he has been removed? imagine, wandering up and down the forest without industry, without speech, and without home.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Civilization Deep Home Imagination Man Nature Philosophy
Quit thy childhood, my friend, and wake up!
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Children Friendship Myself Quit Wake Up
But in some great souls, who consider themselves as citizens of the world, and forcing the imaginary barriers that separate people from people.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Citizen Force Greatness Imagination People Philosophy Soul World
My love for imaginary objects and my facility in lending myself to them ended by disillusioning me with everything around me, and determined that love of solitude which I have retained ever since that time.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Imagination Love Myself Solitude Time
He who pretends to look on death without fear lies. All men are afraid of dying, this is the great law of sentient beings, without which the entire human species would soon be destroyed.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Death Destroy Fear Greatness Himself Human Law Lie Man
I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Choice Man Myself
Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Nature Ourselves Perspective
There is peace in dungeons, but is that enough to make dungeons desirable?
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Deep Desire Enough Need Peace Prison
Civilization is a hopeless race to discover remedies for the evils it produces.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Civilization Discover Evil Hope Race
Truth is an homage that the good man pays to his own dignity.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Dignity Goodness Man Pay Truth
The imagination which causes so many ravages among us, never speaks to the heart of savages.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Heart Imagination Savage Talk
All my misfortunes come of having thought too well of my fellows.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Misfortune Myself Thinking Trust
I am not made like any of those I have seen. I venture to believe that I am not made like any of those who are in existence. If I am not better, at least I am different.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Believe Different Existence Myself See
The first man, who, after enclosing a piece of ground, took it into his head to say, This is mine, and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Believe Enough Man People Pieces Simplicity
To live is not merely to breathe; it is to act; it is to make use of our organs, senses, faculties – of all those parts of ourselves which give us the feeling of existence.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Act Breathe Existence Feeling Live Ourselves Philosophy Yourself
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
It is too difficult to think nobly when one thinks only of earning a living.
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Difficult Live Oneself Survive Thinking
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

What good would it be to possess the whole universe if one were its only survivor?

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What good would it be to possess the whole universe if one were its only survivor?

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