Jean Bodin

"Population is the sinew of all power and the foundation of national strength."

"Those who command armies must first command themselves."

"The study of history reveals that mankind repeats its follies with remarkable consistency."

"Persecution of conscience makes martyrs, not converts."

"A family united in purpose can overcome any external force arrayed against it."

"The pen of the scholar shapes nations more surely than the sword of the warrior."

"Diversity of opinion, properly managed, strengthens rather than weakens the commonwealth."

"To understand the present, one must first comprehend the past with clarity."

"The merchant who hoards goods impoverishes the realm and himself in equal measure."

"Justice without mercy becomes tyranny; mercy without justice becomes chaos."

"The natural order of things cannot be violated without consequence and suffering."

"A king who rules by fear alone shall die by the same fear he has sown."

"The currency of trust is more valuable than gold or silver in human affairs."

"Religion must be the servant of the state, never its master, for the common good."

"Those born into ignorance can yet rise through diligent study and perseverance."

"The wheel of fortune turns for all men, humbling the proud and elevating the humble."

"A contract made in haste is often repented in leisure and regret."

"The strength of a realm depends upon the strength of its laws, not the whims of men."

"Ambition without restraint is the seed of destruction planted in one's own breast."

"The study of numbers and proportion reveals the hidden order of creation."

"Nations that embrace innovation prosper; those that cling to tradition alone decline."

"A true friend is he who speaks truth when flattery would be more profitable."

"The art of governance lies in balancing the competing interests of many diverse people."

"Wealth concentrated in few hands breeds resentment and ultimately rebellion."

"The test of a civilization is how it treats those least able to resist its power."

"Memory and tradition are the bonds that hold a people together across generations."

"To change the law is to change the very fabric of society itself."

"The man who believes himself infallible has already begun his decline toward folly."

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but action taken despite its presence."

"The constant struggle for power among men mirrors the conflict in nature itself."