Montesquieu

"I should like to know whether the laws which govern men are the same as those which govern beasts."

"The mind is as tired as the body can make it."

"Republics end through luxury; monarchies through poverty."

"It is forbidden to forbid—yet order must be kept."

"The education of women should be exactly similar to that of men."

"Whoever would have absolute power must have absolute knowledge."

"True liberty consists not in the absence of restraint, but in the right choice of restraint."

"The climate of a nation shapes its character."

"Terrible is the power of intrigues at court."

"An unjust peace is better than a just war."

"Women are fond of dress because it makes them appear attractive."

"Virtue in a republic is the love of one's country."

"To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them."

"The spirit of equality is directly opposed to the spirit of conquest."

"It is easier to make a slave than a free man."

"Poverty renders men as hard as necessity renders them intelligent."

"The natural law is prior to all positive laws."

"Women are not made to be the property of men."

"In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself."

"The Confessions of St. Augustine and the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are the only psychological works of the ancients."

"If we only took care to let people alone, we should be happy."

"The laws of commerce are the laws of nature."

"A prudent man does not make himself the enemy of others unless he foresees a considerable advantage."

"The corruption of each government begins generally with that of its principles."

"Even virtue itself requires limits."

"Liberty is the right of enjoying the fruits of one's labour."

"To love is to choose."

"Nations are like families; they are often governed by the young."

"The public good is the measure of all things."

"Laws that are too severe are not obeyed."