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Jean Jacques Rousseau Quotes


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True Christians are made to be slaves, and they know it and do not mind; this short life counts for too little in their eyes.

Truth is no road to fortune.

Universal silence must be taken to imply the consent of the people.

Virtue is a state of war, and to live in it we have always to combat with ourselves.
[Virtue]

War then, is a relation - not between man and man: but between state and state; and individuals are enemies only accidentally: not as men, nor even as citizens: but as soldiers; not as members of their country, but as its defenders

Watch a cat when it enters a room for the first time. It searches and smells about, it is not quiet for a moment, it trusts nothing until it has examined and made acquaintance with everything.

We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education.

We are born, so to speak, twice over; born into existence, and born into life; born a human being, and born a man.

We cannot teach children the danger of telling lies to men without realizing, on the man's part, the danger of telling lies to children. A single untruth on the part of the master will destroy the results of his education.

We do not know what is really good or bad fortune.
[Fortune]

We pity in others only the those evils which we ourselves have experienced.

We should not teach children the sciences; but give them a taste for them.

What good would it be to possess the whole universe if one were its only survivor?

What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?

When a man dies he clutches in his hands only that which he has given away during his lifetime

When my reason is afloat, my faith cannot long remain in suspense, and I believe in God as firmly as in any other truth whatever; in short, a thousand motives draw me to the consolatory side, and add the weight of hope to the equilibrium of reason.
[Reason]

When something an affliction happens to you, you either let it defeat you, or you defeat it.

When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.

Whoever blushes is already guilty; true innocence is ashamed of nothing.
[Innocence]

With children use force with men reason; such is the natural order of things. The wise man requires no law.


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