Top 157 Quotes & Sayings by Baron de Montesquieu - Page 3

There is still another inconvenieney in conquests made by democracies; their government is ever odious to the conquered states. It is apparently monarchical, but in reality it is more oppressive than monarchy, as the experience of all ages and countries evinces.

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.

Christians are beginning to lose the spirit of intolerance which animated them: experience has shown the error of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, and of the persecution of those Christians in France whose belief differed a little from that of the king. They have realized that zeal for the advancement of religion is different from a due attachment to it; and that in order to love it and fulfil its behests, it is not necessary to hate and persecute those who are opposed to it.

In the birth of societies it is the chiefs of states who give it its special character; and afterward it is this special character that forms the chiefs of state.

Honor sets all the parts of the body politic in motion, and by its very action connects them; thus each individual advances the public good, while he only thinks of promoting his own interest.

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.

Very good laws may be ill timed.

Oh, how empty is praise when it reflects back to its origin!

A man who writes well writes not as others write, but as he himself writes; it is often in speaking badly that he speaks well.

At our coming into the world we contract an immense debt to our country, which we can never discharge.

Each citizen contributes to the revenues of the State a portion of his property in order that his tenure of the rest may be secure.

The spirit of commerce... renders every man willing to live on his own property...& prevents the growth of luxury.

When God endowed human beings with brains, He did not intend to guarantee them.

Republics come to an end by luxurious habits; monarchies by poverty.

Politics are a smooth file, which cuts gradually, and attains its end by slow progression.

The culminating point of administration is to know well how much power, great or small, we ought to use in all circumstances.

We ought to be very cautious in the prosecution of magic and heresy. The attempt to put down these two crimes may be extremely perilous to liberty, and may be the origin of a number of petty acts of tyranny if the legislator be not on his guard; for as such an accusation does not bear directly on the overt acts of a citizen, but refers to the idea we entertain of his character.

A fondness for reading changes the inevitable dull hours of our life into exquisite hours of delight.

If triangles had a god, he would have three sides.

The Ottoman Empire whose sick body was not supported by a mild and regular diet, but by a powerful treatment, which continually exhausted it.

It is difficult for the united states to be all of equal power and extent.

Better it is to say that the government most comfortable to nature is that which best agrees with the humor and disposition of the people in whose favor it is established.

I shall ever repeat it, that mankind are governed not by extremes, but by principals of moderation.

Human laws made to direct the will ought to give precepts, and not counsels.

A rational army would run away.

The laws do not take upon them to punish any other than overt acts.

In a republic there is no coercive force as in other governments, the laws must therefore endeavor to supply this defect.

We ought to be very cautious and circumspect in the prosecution of magic and heresy. The attempt to put down these two crimes may be extremely perilous to liberty.

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

To lend money without interest, is certainly an action laudable and extremely good; but it is obvious, that it is only a counsel of religion, and not a civil law.

The public business must be carried on with a certain motion, neither too quick nor too slow.

The pagan religion, which prohibited only some of the grosser crimes, and which stopped the hand but meddled not with the heart, might have crimes that were inexplicable.

In constitutional states, liberty is compensation for heavy taxes; in dictatorships, the subsititue is light taxes.

Certain kinds of foolishness are such that a greater foolishness would be better.

Slowness is frequently the cause of much greater slowness.

Friendship is a contract in which we render small services in expectation of big ones.

Christianity stamped its character on jurisprudence; for empire has ever a connection with the priesthood.