Our curated collection of Montesquieu quotes! Montesquieu was a French philosopher, writer, and political theorist who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He was well known for his advocacy of liberty and separation of powers within government. His writings and ideas were influential in the development of modern political thought and many of his quotes are still relevant today. Here, we have collected some of his most profound and inspiring quotes. Enjoy!
Famous Baron de Montesquieu quotes on his political philosophy
💠 “Given the need for virtue in a republic and the monarchy of honor, he takes the fear in a despotic government; virtue there is no need and honor it would be dangerous.” — Montesquieu
💠 “It is not the young people that degenerate; they are not spoiled till those of mature age are already sunk into corruption.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The love of democracy is that of equality.” — Montesquieu
“The monarchy is the system where a single person governs by fixed and established laws.” — Montesquieu
💠 “Peace is a natural effect of trade.” — Montesquieu
💠 “Despotism is a plan alone, without law and without rule, leads all its will and caprices.” — Montesquieu
💠 “Political liberty in a citizen is that peace of mind that comes from the opinion each person has of his safety, and to have this liberty, the government must be such that a citizen can not afraid of another.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The republic is the regime where the people as a body, or only some of the people, the sovereign power.” — Montesquieu
Charles de Montesquieu quotes about the separation of powers
💠 “In any judicial, must compensate the greatness of the power by the brevity of its duration.” — Montesquieu
💠 “A thing is not just because it is law. But it must be law because it is just.” — Montesquieu
💠 “If in the interior of a state you do not hear the noise of any conflict, you can be sure that freedom is not there.” — Montesquieu
💠 “For we can not abuse power, must, by the arrangement of things, power checks power.” — Montesquieu
💠 “Countries are well cultivated, not as they are fertile, but as they are free.” — Montesquieu
💠 “There is as yet no liberty if the power of judging be not separated from legislative power and the executive power.” — Montesquieu
💠 “In the infancy of societies, the chiefs of state shape its institutions; later the institutions shape the chiefs of state.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The reason why most governments are despotic Earth is that it just happens. But for moderate governments must combine moderate powers; know what gives one what remains to another and finally, we need a system that is to say a convention of many and a discussion of interest.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The sublimity of administration consists in knowing the proper degree of power that should be exerted on different occasions.” — Montesquieu
Montesquieu quotes about laws and morality
💠 “Laws undertake to punish only overt acts.” — Montesquieu
💠 “An injustice to one is a threat made to all.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The severity of the laws prevents their execution.” — Montesquieu
💠 “People have the government they deserve.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The merit of any console.” — Montesquieu
💠 “Useless laws weaken the necessary laws.” — Montesquieu
💠 “Freedom is the right to do whatever the laws permit.” — Montesquieu
“More states have perished because they had violated the morals because they violated the laws.” — Montesquieu
💠 “It is competition that puts a fair price for goods and establishes the true relations between them.” — Montesquieu
💠 “There is no nation so powerful, as the one that obeys its laws not from principals of fear or reason, but from passion.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The government is like all things in the world to preserve it must be love.” — Montesquieu
💠 “Slavery is not useful to the master or the slave to him because he can not do anything by virtue in this, because he gradually becomes accustomed to violate all the moral virtues, he became proud swift, hard, angry, voluptuous, and cruel.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The morals and manners are usages that laws have not established or were unable or unwilling to establish.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The spirit of moderation should also be the spirit of the lawgiver.” — Montesquieu
Montesquieu quotes about success
💠 “This is how I define talent; it is a gift that God has given us in secret, which we reveal without knowing it.” — Montesquieu
💠 “In most things, success depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed.” — Montesquieu
💠 “There is no one, says another, whom fortune does not visit once in his life; but when she does not find him ready to receive her, she walks in at the door, and flies out at the window.” — Montesquieu
💠 “I have always observed that to succeed in the world a person must seem simple, yet wise.” — Montesquieu
Montesquieu quotes about education
💠 “I have never known any distress that an hour’s reading did not relieve.” — Montesquieu
💠 “What orators lack in depth they make up for in length.” — Montesquieu
💠 “The less men think, the more they talk.” — Montesquieu
💠 “To love to read is to exchange hours of ennui for hours of delight.” — Montesquieu
💠 “An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations.” — Montesquieu
Other famous quotes from Montesquieu
💠 “Lunch kills half of Paris, supper the other half.” — Montesquieu
💠 “To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.” — Montesquieu
💠 “Liberty is the right to do what the law permits.” — Montesquieu
💠 “If the triangles made a god, they would give him three sides.” — Montesquieu
💠 “A nation may lose its liberties in a day and not miss them in a century.” — Montesquieu
“It is always the adventurers who do great things, not the sovereigns of great empires.” — Montesquieu
💠 “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.” — Montesquieu
💠 “Friendship is an arrangement by which we undertake to exchange small favors for big ones.” — Montesquieu
💠 “There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” — Montesquieu
💠 “If one only wished to be happy, this could be easily accomplished; but we wish to be happier than other people and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are.” — Montesquieu
Conclusion
The quotes of Montesquieu are timeless, inspiring words of wisdom that can be applied to many aspects of life. His emphasis on the importance of understanding and respecting the different cultures of the world is especially relevant today. Montesquieu’s words of wisdom can serve as a reminder to us that understanding and respect are the keys to a better future for all.