Charles de Montesquieu
Charles de Montesquieu
Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French lawyer, man of letters, and political philosopher who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, which is implemented in many constitutions throughout the world. He is also known for doing more than any other author to secure the place of the word despotism in the political lexicon...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth18 January 1689
CountryFrance
There should be weeping at a man's birth, not at his death.
The less men think, the more they talk.
Friendship is an arrangement by which we undertake to exchange small favors for big ones.
In most things success depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed.
False happiness renders men stern and proud, and that happiness is never communicated. True happiness renders them kind and sensible, and that happiness is always shared.
The sublimity of administration consists in knowing the proper degree of power that should be exerted on different occasions.
We must have constantly present in our minds the difference between independence and liberty. Liberty is a right of doing whatever the laws permit, and if a citizen could do what they forbid he would no longer be possessed of liberty.
I have always observed that to succeed in the world one should seem a fool, but be wise.
It is not the young people that degenerate; they are not spoiled till those of mature age are already sunk into corruption.
The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.
I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve.
The spirit of moderation should also be the spirit of the lawgiver.
Men should be bewailed at their birth, and not at their death.
Success in the majority of circumstances depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed.