Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Philosopher Writer French 1712 – 1778

French writer and philosopher, author of The Social Contract.

381 quotes

"Truth is hard to find because too many people lie."
Truth
"Generosity is the flower of justice."
Justice
"Music is the passion of my life."
Music
"The richest man is he who wants nothing."
Wisdom
"Education should develop the pupil's own nature, not mold him into a pattern."
Education
"Love is an act of endless forgiveness."
Love
"Our greatest happiness does not depend on our conditions."
Happiness
"Work spares us from three great evils: boredom, vice, and poverty."
Work
"The question is not what is true but what is useful."
Knowledge
"Hope and fear cannot occupy the same place."
Hope
"History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up."
History
"All who are happy are equal in their happiness."
Happiness
"The human heart has its seasons, just as nature does."
Nature
"Conscience is the voice of the soul."
Philosophy
"Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others."
Politics
"A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction."
Justice
"Beauty is not something that can be explained."
Beauty
"Literature is a form of resistance against tyranny."
Literature
"He who dares to teach must never cease to learn."
Education
"The strongest is never strong enough to always be master."
Power
"Freedom is an awakening to truth."
Freedom
"Money is the idol of the age."
Money
"Life is improved by the presence of love."
Love
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
Imagination
"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think."
Philosophy
"Pleasure consists in the absence of pain."
Happiness
"The purpose of philosophy is to question everything."
Philosophy
"Solitude is necessary for creativity."
Solitude
"True courage is facing fear with faith."
Courage
"Knowledge is power, but wisdom is knowing what to do with it."
Wisdom