Montesquieu Quotes

Cette belliqueuse nation, uniquement occupée de sa gloire présente, sûre de vaincre dans tous les temps, ne songeait point à se signaler dans l'avenir par la mémoire de ses conquêtes passées.

Les êtres particuliers intelligents peuvent avoir des lois qu'ils ont faites; mais ils en ont aussi qu'ils
n'ont pas faites.

I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage.

Le roi de France est le plus puissant prince de l'Europe. Il n'a point de mines d'or comme le roi d'Espagne son voisin; mais il a plus de richesses que lui, parce qu'il les tire de la vanité de ses sujets, plus inépuisable que les mines. On lui a vu entreprendre ou soutenir de grandes guerres, n'ayant d'autres fonds que des titres d'honneur à vendre, et, par un prodige de l'orgueil humain, ses troupes se trouvaient payées, ses places munies, et ses flottes équipées.

I have seen descriptions of Paradise sufficient to make all sensible people give up their hopes of it.

And yet there is nothing so badly imagined: nature seems to have provided, that the follies of men should be transient, but they by writing books render them permanent. A fool ought to content himself with having wearied those who lived with him: but he is for tormenting future generations; he is desirous that his folly should triumph over oblivion, which he ought to have enjoyed as well as his grave; he is desirous that posterity should be informed that he lived, and that it should be known for ever that he was a fool.

It is possible that the law, which is clear sighted in one sense, and blind in another,
might, in some cases, be too severe. But as we have already observed, the national judges are no more than the mouth that pronounces the words of the law, mere passive beings, incapable of moderating either its force or rigor. That part, therefore, of the legislative body, which we have just now observed to be a necessary tribunal on another occasion, also is a necessary tribunal in this; it belongs to its supreme authority to moderate the law in favor of the law itself, by mitigating the sentence.

"تحدث مونتسكييو في كتاب "روح القانون" عن أثر المناخ والتربة في حياة الإنسان:

1- المناخ:

المناخ البارد: شجاعة- نقاء النفس- قوة جسدية.

المناخ الحار: جبن- مكر- ضعف.

2- التربة:

يصل تأثير التربة إلى الحد السياسي ونوع الحكومات:

- التربة الخصبة = نظام ملكي وديكتاتورية.

- التربة الفقيرة = نظام جمهوري وديمقراطية.

- سكان الجزر = الاستقلالية والاستقرار."

Nothing is a greater obstacle to our progress in knowledge, than a bad performance of a celebrated author; because, before we instruct we must begin with undeceiving.

Democratic and aristocratic states are not in their own nature free. Political liberty is to be found only in moderate governments; and even in these it is not always found. It is there only when there is no abuse of power. But constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it, and to carry his authority as far as it will go.

Very good laws may be ill timed.

Le crime de lèse-majesté n'est autre chose, selon eux, que le crime que le plus faible commet contre le plus fort en lui désobéissant, de quelque manière qu'il lui désobéisse.

Translation: Raillery is a mode of speaking in favor of one's wit at the expense of one's better nature.

en fait de religion, les plus proches sont les plus grandes ennemies.

An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations.