Montesquieu

"When the legislative and executive powers are united, there is no liberty."

"The principles of government must be suited to the nature of its people."

"Prejudice is to the opinion of the many what tyrants are to states."

"The safety of the people is the supreme law."

"In every human heart there is a spark of heavenly fire."

"The mind is enlarged by discourse and reduced by silence."

"Despotism thrives on ignorance and withers with knowledge."

"The art of government is to make the people happy."

"Custom is the guide of human life."

"We should weep for men at their birth, not at their death."

"The less people think, the more they talk."

"Nations are not civilized by the extent of their territory."

"The surest way to prevent revolutions is to govern justly."

"Liberty consists in doing what one desires without harm to others."

"The true strength of a nation lies in the virtue of its citizens."

"An excessive love of order leads to tyranny."

"The property of one thing cannot become the property of another without loss."

"Punishment must be swift and certain to deter crime."

"The greatest inventions come from necessity."

"Civil liberty is the freedom from arbitrary restraint."

"A nation's laws should reflect its climate and geography."

"The people are naturally inclined toward peace and order."

"Education forms common men; great men form themselves."

"The security of the throne depends upon the security of the people."

"There is no genius without a mixture of madness."

"The most successful laws are those least felt."

"Every society needs a balance of power to survive."

"The foundation of a republic is virtue; the foundation of a monarchy is honor."

"Commerce creates peace between nations by binding their interests."

"A man should govern his household as he governs himself."