All abstract sciences are nothing but the study of relations between signs. - Denis Diderot

أنا ألهو بأن أكتب الحماقات التي ترتكبونها تحت أسماء مستعارة. فحماقاتكم تضحكني وكتاباتي تعكر مزاجكم

This is a work that cannot be completed except by a society of men of letters and skilled workmen, each working separately on his own part, but all bound together solely by their zeal for the best interests of the human race and a feeling of mutual good will.

The arbitrary rule of a just and enlightened prince is always bad. His virtues are the most dangerous and the surest form of seduction: they lull a people imperceptibly into the habit of loving, respecting, and serving his successor, whoever that successor may be, no matter how wicked or stupid.