Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"Every man is born with the seeds of virtue within him."

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

"The problem we must solve is not how to make men perfect, but how to make society just."

"I am convinced that we do more good by being happy than in any other way."

"The human race is perfectible, and will be perfected."

"True love is exquisite and rare; false love is common and cheap."

"History is full of religious wars; but, in fact, we must admit that reason has fought just as much."

"The strongest is never strong enough to be always the master, unless he transforms strength into right."

"One cannot speak of ocean to a well-frog, the creature of a narrow sphere."

"Sensibility is the capacity to be moved, and the greater a man's sensibility, the greater his capacity for joy and sorrow."

"The more I examine myself, the more my soul is filled with admiration for my Creator."

"To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects the freedom of others."

"In the human heart there is a perpetual struggle between a thousand different impulses."

"Virtue without knowledge is blind; knowledge without virtue is dangerous."

"The art of teaching is the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds."

"All men naturally love freedom; yet few know how to use it well."

"The bow that is always bent will quickly break."

"Happiness is a good action."

"I felt before I thought; this has been the condition of my existence."

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened."

"An absolutely despot is always a bad ruler; but the best possible ruler is an absolute despot."

"The most cruel wounds are often inflicted with the best of intentions."

"Knowledge puffs up, but charity builds up."

"The purpose of civil society is to promote the general happiness."

"A little patience and great power will always bring about what you desire."

"Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves."

"The chains of slavery are heavy; it is our business to strike them off."

"Man differs from the animals only in one respect—he is capable of becoming virtuous."

"True freedom is being master of oneself."

"The person who reads only one book is a prisoner."