Home / Authors / Benjamin Constant Biography

Benjamin Constant

Benjamin Constant Biography

Politician

Benjamin Constant was a French politician and philosopher, born on October 25, 1767, and died on December 8, 1830. He was a witness and participant in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, known for his profound thoughts on freedom, democracy, and constitutionalism.

Benjamin Constant was a French politician and philosopher, born on October 25, 1767, and died on December 8, 1830. He was a witness and participant in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, known for his profound thoughts on freedom, democracy, and constitutionalism.

Related Quotes

“La variété, c'est la vie, l'uniformité, c'est la mort." [De l’esprit de conquête et de l’usurpation dans leur rapports avec la civilisation européenne (1914)]”

Life Death Variety Uniformity Contrasts

Author:Benjamin Constant

“Your party man, however excellent his intentions may be, is always opposed to any limitation of sovereignty. He regards himself as the next in succession, and handles gently the property that is to come to him, even while his opponents are its tenants.”

Democracy Politician Voting Sovergnity

Author:Benjamin Constant

“The people who, in order to enjoy the liberty which suites them, resort to the representative system, must exercise an active and constant surveillance over their representatives, and reserve for themselves...the right to discard them if they betray their trust, and to revoke the powers which them might have abused.”

People Ifs Might Order Enjoy Freedom Liberty Exercise Constant Active Betray Representatives Reserves Resorts Surveillance

Author:Benjamin Constant

“There is a bizarre notion according to which it is claimed that because men are corrupt, it is necessary to give certain of them all the more power... on the contrary, they must be given less power.”

Men Giving Philosophy Political Certain Given Economics Notion Contrary Bizarre

Author:Benjamin Constant

“No duty, however, binds us to these so-called laws, whose corrupting influence menaces what is noblest in our being.”

Law Influence Duty Freedom Of Speech Menace Being Free

Author:Benjamin Constant

“Woe to the man who in the first moments of a love-affair does not believe that it will last forever! Woe to him who even in the arms of some mistress who has just yielded to him maintains an awareness of trouble to come and foresees that he may later tear himself away!”

Men Firsts Believe May Doe Moments Lasts Forever Trouble Awareness Tears He Man Arms Affair Woe Mistress Love Affair

Book:Adolphe

Source: Adolphe

“Nearly always, so as to live at peace with ourselves, we disguise our own impotence and weakness as calculation and policy; it is our way of placating that half of our being which is in a sense a spectator of the other.”

Way Half Policy Weakness Disguise Spectators Calculations Impotence Placating

Book:Adolphe

Source: Adolphe

“There are things one does not say for a long time, but, once they are said, one never stops repeating them.”

Long Doe Said Speech Long Time

Book:Adolphe [translated from the French by

Source: Adolphe [translated from the French by

“Art for art's sake, with no purpose, for any purpose perverts art. But art achieves a purpose which is not its own. (1804)”

Art Purpose Achieve Constant Sake

Author:Benjamin Constant

“The great question in life is the suffering we cause, and the most ingenious metaphysics do not justify the man who has broken the heart that loved him.”

Men Heart Life Is Suffering Causes Broken Justify Metaphysics Ingenious

Book:Adolphe

Source: Adolphe

“Every time government attempts to handle our affairs, it costs more and the results are worse than if we had handled them ourselves.”

Ifs Government Results Cost Affair Handle

Author:Benjamin Constant

About the Author

Born: October 25, 1767
Died: December 8, 1830
Known for: Politician
Quotes: 11

Related Topics

Men Affair Constant Doe Ifs Achieve Active Arms Art Awareness

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

AdolpheRelated source material

Adolphe [translated from the French byRelated source material

Similar Authors

Brian ToppBrowse related quotes
Woodrow WilsonBrowse related quotes
Leo TolstoyBrowse related quotes
Gilbert K. ChestertonBrowse related quotes
H. L. MenckenBrowse related quotes
Jean-Jacques RousseauBrowse related quotes
Ayn RandBrowse related quotes
Ludwig von MisesBrowse related quotes
Walter LippmannBrowse related quotes
Barry CrockerBrowse related quotes