Montesquieu

"In democratic states, the love of country is a respect for the laws."

"The inequality of private wealth is not injurious, provided that the laws are just."

"Beauty fades, but intelligence remains; therefore cultivate your mind as you would cultivate your face."

"Despotism tempers itself with ceremony; democracy runs the risk of forgetting decorum altogether."

"The art of governing consists in dividing the labor, not in diminishing the authority."

"Excessive severity in punishing crime shows a weakness in the magistrate."

"Those who have never come to struggle are those who have not yet truly lived."

"The feeling of liberty depends on the proportion of taxes to revenue."

"Great empires are not built by conquest alone, but by just administration."

"The human mind needs not only knowledge but also a sense of belonging."

"If there were no God, it would be necessary to invent him."

"Wars are easier entered into than quitted."

"The more we increase our wealth, the more we shall increase the means of poverty."

"Patience is the art of hoping."

"The independence of judges is not a privilege for their benefit, but for the protection of the people."

"Education is the foundation of a civilized society."

"In a democratic state, citizens must combine freedom with responsibility."

"The secret to success is knowing when to hold back and when to move forward."

"Weak men cannot survive in the presence of strong men."

"The diversity of minds is the diversity of nature and of invention."

"To live is not merely to exist; to live is to grow in understanding."

"True happiness comes not from riches, but from virtue and peace of mind."

"The foundation of justice is good faith."

"Mountains are chains of liberty; flatlands are fields of despotism."

"The love of study is the most powerful means of supporting us in all our misfortunes."

"A good government is not one that acts according to the ruler's will, but according to the law."

"The true secret of legislation is knowing what the laws should not try to do."

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."

"The strength of a nation does not lie in its weapons, but in the virtue of its people."

"To achieve success, one must first overcome the fear of failure."