Montesquieu Quotes

Aimer à lire, c'est faire un échange des heures d'ennui que l'on doit avoir dans sa vie, contre des heures délicieuses.

Nature, in her wisdom, seems to have arranged it so that men's stupidity should be ephemeral, and books make them immortal. A fool ought to be content having exacerbated everyone around him, but he insists tormenting future generations.

" "On s'étonne de ce qu'il n'y a presque jamais de changement dans le gouvernement des princes d'Orient. D'où vient cela, si ce n'est de ce qu'il est tyrannique et affreux ?

a conqueror, I say, can change the course of everything, and muffled tyranny is the first thing which is liable to violence.

What I have here advanced is confirmed by the unanimous testimony of historians, and is extremely agreeable to the nature of things. For it is clear that in a monarchy, where he who commands the execution of the laws generally thinks himself above them, there is less need of virtue than in a popular government, where the person entrusted with the execution of the laws is sensible of his being subject to their direction.

In the end, the public renders justice. Here’s the reason: the votes of the wise are constant, but fools’ votes are various, change constantly, and cancel each other out.

If one only wished to be Sad, this could be horrible for the rest of civilisation; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are.

There are only two cases in which war is just: first, in order to resist the aggression of an enemy, and second, in order to help an ally who has been attacked.

"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."

I have never known any distress that an hour’s reading did not relieve.

In every government there are three sorts of power: the legislative; the executive in respect to things dependent on the law of nations; and the executive in regard to matters that depend on the civil law.
By virtue of the first, the prince or magistrate enacts temporary or perpetual laws, and amends or abrogates those that have been already enacted. By the second, he makes peace or war, sends or receives embassies, establishes the public security, and provides against invasions. By the third, he punishes criminals, or determines the disputes that arise between individuals. The latter we shall call the judiciary power, and the other, simply, the executive power of the state.
When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty; because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner.
Again, there is no liberty if the judiciary power be not separated from the legislative and executive. Were it joined with the legislative, the life and liberty of the subject would be exposed to arbitrary control; for the judge would be then the legislator. Were it joined to the executive power, the judge might behave with violence and oppression.
There would be an end of every thing, were the same man, or the same body, whether of the nobles or of the people, to exercise those three powers, that of enacting laws, that of executing the public resolutions, and of trying the causes of individuals.
The executive power ought to be in the hands of a monarch, because this branch of government, having need of dispatch, is better administered by one than by many: on the other hand, whatever depends on the legislative power, is oftentimes better regulated by many than by a single person.
But, if there were no monarch, and the executive power should be committed to a certain number of persons, selected from the legislative body, there would

Aussi puis-je t'assurer qu'il n'y a jamais eu de royaume où il y ait eu tant de guerres civiles que dans celui de Christ.

Lorsque je pense aux funestes effets de cette liqueur, je ne puis m'empêcher de la regarder comme le présent le plus redoutable que la nature ait fait aux hommes. Si quelque chose a flétri la vie et la réputation de nos monarques, ç'a été leur intempérance : c'est la source la plus empoisonnée de leurs injustices et de leurs cruautés.

Самата природа мъдро се погрижва хорските глупости да бъдат преходни, а книгите ги правят безсмъртни.

وما أكثر ما بدأت هذا الكتاب وتركته، وقد تركت للرياح ألف مرة ما كنت أكتب من الأوراق، وكنت أشعر بهبود الأيدي الأبوية في كل يوم، وكنت أسير وراء هدفي من غير وضع مشروع، وكنت لا أعرف القواعد ولا الشواذ، وكنت لا أجد الحقيقة إلا لأفقدها، ولكنني عندما أكتشفت مبادئي أتاني كل ما بحثت عنه، فأبصرت في غضون عشرين عامًا بدء كتابي ونموَّه وتقدمه وتمامه.