Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves.
One man thinks himself the master of others but remains more of a slave than they are.
- Topic: Freedom, Liberty
- Photo: Jeffrey Benjamin
More Quotes from Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Virtue is a state of war, and to live in it we have always to combat with ourselves.
Never exceed your rights, and they will soon become unlimited.
I prefer liberty with danger than peace with slavery.
Provided a man is not mad, he can be cured of every folly but vanity.
More on These Topics
Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.
I have said that the Declaration of Independence is the ring-bolt to the chain of your nation’s destiny; so, indeed, I regard it. The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost.
Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitude.
I shall work for the Republican party and call on all women to join me, precisely…for what that party has done and promises to do for women, nothing more, nothing less.
It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.
History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.
Some people are so used to special treatment that equal treatment is considered to be discrimination.
Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Our country is that spot to which our heart is bound.
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
Liberty without Learning is always in peril and Learning without Liberty is always in vain.
Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.
For you can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you.
Why has government been instituted? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason & justice without constraint.
This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it.
The right of conquest has no foundation other than the right of the strongest.
The overwhelming importance of the atmosphere means that there are no longer any frontiers to defend against pollution, attack, or propaganda. It means, further, that only by a deep patriotic devotion to one’s country can there be a hope of the kind of protection of the whole planet, which is necessary for the survival of the people of other countries.
They fear love because it creates a world they can't control.
There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what they are going to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
When one remains silent in the face of oppression, one is on the side of the oppressor.
I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.
Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defence.
In order to enjoy the inestimable benefits that the liberty of the press ensures, it is necessary to submit to the inevitable evils that it creates.
When even one American, who has done nothing wrong, is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth, then all Americans are in peril.
As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.
If we are to achieve richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.
Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.
