Jean Jacques Rousseau Quotes

A feeble body weakens the mind.


Absolute silence leads to sadness. It is the image of death.


All of my misfortunes come from having thought too well of my fellows.


Although modesty is natural to man, it is not natural to children. Modesty only begins with the knowledge of evil.


Base souls have no faith in great individuals.


Childhood is the sleep of reason.


Every man has a right to risk his own life for the preservation of it.


Falsehood has an infinity of combinations, but truth has only one mode of being.


Fame is but the breath of people, and that often unwholesome.


Force does not constitute right... obedience is due only to legitimate powers.


Free people, remember this maxim: we may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost.


Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none have a right to expect.


Heroes are not known by the loftiness of their carriage; the greatest braggarts are generally the merest cowards.


How many famous and high-spirited heroes have lived a day too long?


However great a man's natural talent may be, the act of writing cannot be learned all at once.


I hate books; they only teach us to talk about things we know nothing about.


I have always said and felt that true enjoyment can not be described.


It is too difficult to think nobly when one thinks only of earning a living.


It is unnatural for a majority to rule, for a majority can seldom be organized and united for specific action, and a minority can.


Man is born free, and everywhere he is in shackles.

Short Bio Author Profession: Philosopher
Nationality: Swiss
Born: June 28, 1712
Died: July 2, 1778