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Baron de Montesquieu

Baron de Montesquieu Quotes

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Baron de Montesquieu, a French Enlightenment thinker, jurist, historian, and politician, was born on January 18, 1689, and died on February 10, 1755. He is one of the most important thinkers in the history of Western political thought, known for his contributions to the theory of the separation of powers.

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Famous Baron de Montesquieu Quotes

“Vanity and pride of nations; vanity is as advantageous to a government as pride is dangerous.”

Government Nations Dangerous Pride Vanity Vanity And Pride

Book:The Spirit of Laws

Source: The Spirit of Laws

“Vanity is as advantageous to a government as pride is dangerous. To be convinced of this we need only represent, on the one hand,the numberless benefits which result from vanity, as industry, the arts, fashions, politeness, and taste; and on the other, the infinite evils which spring from the pride of certain nations, a laziness, poverty, a total neglect of everything.”

Needs Art Hands Government Certain Evil Nations Results Poverty Fashion Dangerous Pride Industry Taste Benefits Spring Infinite Convinced Vanity Neglect Laziness Politeness

Author:Baron de Montesquieu

“Ever since the invention of gunpowder.. I continually tremble lest men should, in the end, uncover some secret which would provide a short way of abolishing mankind, of annihilating peoples and nations in their entirety.”

Men Way Should Ends Nations Secret Mankind Invention Entirety Gunpowder

Author:Baron de Montesquieu

“In every government there are three sorts of power: the legislative; the executive in respect to things dependent on the law of nations; and the executive in regard to matters that depend on the civil law.”

Matter Government Law Three Nations Depends Regard Dependent Executives

Book:The Spirit of Laws

Source: The Spirit of Laws

“Law in general is human reason, inasmuch as it governs all the inhabitants of the earth: the political and civil laws of each nation ought to be only the particular cases in which human reason is applied.”

Humans Reason Earth Law Political Nations Cases Particular Ought Human Reason

Book:The Spirit of Laws

Source: The Spirit of Laws

“If I knew of something that could serve my nation but would ruin another, I would not propose it to my prince, for I am first a man and only then a Frenchman... because I am necessarily a man, and only accidentally am I French.”

Ifs Men Firsts Nations Ruins Propose Frenchmen

Author:Baron de Montesquieu

“Liberty itself has appeared intolerable to those nations who have not been accustomed to enjoy it.”

Government Nations Enjoy Liberty Accustomed

Book:The Spirit of Laws

Source: The Spirit of Laws

“There is no nation so powerful, as the one that obeys its laws not from principals of fear or reason, but from passion.”

Reason Law Passion Nations Powerful Power Lawyer Principal No Fear

Author:Baron de Montesquieu

“A nation may lose its liberties in a day and not miss them in a century.”

May Politics Nations Loses Freedom Liberty Century Missing

Author:Baron de Montesquieu

“The law of nations is naturally founded on this principle, that different nations ought in time of peace to do one another all the good they can, and in time of war as little injury as possible, without prejudicing their real interests.”

Littles Different War Real Law Nations Interest Principles Ought Injury

Book:The Spirit of Laws

Source: The Spirit of Laws

“Each particular society begins to feel its strength, whence arises a state of war between different nations.”

Feels Different War States Nations Particular Arise

Book:The Spirit of Laws

Source: The Spirit of Laws

About the Author

Born: January 18, 1689
Died: February 10, 1755
Known for: Author
Quotes: 226

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