Montesquieu

"Religion is too important to be left to theologians alone."

"The art of government is to make each believe he works for his own interest."

"A man who is fond of books is usually a man of lofty thoughts."

"The principle of honour in monarchies is the foundation of all virtue."

"Wars do not end through weakness but through wisdom."

"The love of equality is the natural object of a democratic government."

"Plurality must be subject to unity."

"Custom is the greatest law."

"Kings are naturally lovers of glory."

"The magistrate must be inexorable, but yet merciful."

"In democracies, people love equality; in monarchies, people love glory."

"Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see."

"Those who have gone far in ostentation take the greatest pains to appear modest."

"The true rule of law is not the rule of men, but the rule of reason."

"In the state of nature there is no such thing as a crime."

"The laws of nature are the laws that God has prescribed for all men."

"Good laws make men better, not worse."

"When one wants to reform a state, one must be very careful not to change too much at once."

"The love of country is a most wonderful incentive."

"Commerce is the cure for the most destructive prejudices."

"Justice is not a woman to be wooed, but a goddess to be feared."

"Every man should remember that in getting rich he should not hurt his neighbor."

"The human heart seeks novelty and fears routine."

"The source of all revolutions lies in an abuse of power."

"To rule is to choose."

"In republics, the public safety is the supreme law."

"Beauty is produced by the true proportion of parts."

"The less free a people is, the more it needs entertainment."

"Constant experience shows us that every man who has power is inclined to abuse it."

"The way to keep a republic alive is to educate the people."