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
people curiosity taught
Teach your scholar to observe the phenomena of nature; you will soon rouse his curiosity, but if you would have it grow, do not be in too great a hurry to satisfy this curiosity. Put the problems before him and let him solve them himself. Let him know nothing because you have told him, but because he has learnt it for himself. Let him not be taught science, let him discover it. If ever you substitute authority for reason he will cease to reason; he will be a mere plaything of other people's thoughts.
wise children taught
Do you not know...that a child badly taught is farther from being wise than one not taught at all?
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
american-journalist everywhere man
Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains.
fruit patience proverbs
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
children force man men natural order requires wise
With children use force with men reason; such is the natural order of things. The wise man requires no law.