Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseauwas a Francophone Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of the 18th century. His political philosophy influenced the Enlightenment in France and across Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the overall development of modern political and educational thought...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth28 June 1712
CityGeneva, Switzerland
CountryFrance
law people citizens
The members of a body-politic call it "the state" when it is passive, "the sovereign" when it is active, and a "power" when they compare it with others of its kind. Collectively they use the title "people," and they refer to one another individually as "citizens" when speaking of their participation in the authority of the sovereign, and as "subjects" when speaking of their subordination to the laws of the state.
rights citizens kind
The social compact sets up among the citizens as equality of such kind, that they all bind themselves to observe the same conditions and should therefore all enjoy the same rights.
riches citizens enough
...in respect of riches, no citizen shall ever be wealthy enough to buy another, and none poor enough to be forced to sell himself.
demand sovereign citizens
A citizen should render to the state all the services he can as soon as the sovereign demands them.
time men citizens
One must choose between making a man or a citizen, for one cannot make both at the same time.
duty obedience strength strongest transforms unless
The strongest is never strong enough always to be master, unless he transforms strength into right, and obedience into duty
child endurance endure learn lesson
Endurance and to be able to endure is the first lesson a child should learn because it's the one they will most need to know.
life man order risk save
Every man has the right to risk his own life in order to save it.
body conscience passions voice
Conscience is the voice of the soul; the passions are the voice of the body
acquire free recovered remember
Free people, remember this maxim: We may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost.
believe likely longer people
Most people believe that the longer you let these things go, the more likely you are to have something go wrong.
american-journalist hate talk teach
I hate books; they only teach us to talk about what we don't know.
faithful integrity performance promise
The person who is slowest in making a promise is most faithful in its performance.
evils others ourselves pity
We pity in others only those evils which we have ourselves experienced