A people without religion, if it exists, is only a little higher than the animals.
Nothing can be more praiseworthy than a sense of one's own dignity, in those cases where we are indeed endowed with valuable qualities.
Nothing is so free as the thought of man.
The ruler of life is not mind but habit. It alone forces the mind to assume in all cases that the future corresponds to the past.
Self-respect... creates the rules of justice and is the first reason for observing the latter.
Happy is he who lives in conditions corresponding to his temperament, but perfect is he who knows how to adapt his temperament to all conditions.
A civilized nation can easily err in the choice of its own philosopher.
A man who talks a lot about himself finds it difficult to get rid of vanity.
The more a man's way of life depends on chance, the more he leaves prey to superstitions.
What can be said about the history of religions? Doubt, uncertainty, giving up any opinion - this is apparently the result of a thorough study of this problem.
The beliefs and faith of men do not depend on their own will, but involuntarily submit to the evidence offered by their minds, according to which the almighty God created the mind free, and thus would have expressed his supreme desire that it should remain free, which is why made her absolutely unresponsive to restraint; all attempts to influence the mind by temporary punishments or burdens or deprivation of civil rights lead to the emergence of hypocritical habits and the commission of fraudulent acts….
In matters of style, go with the flow, in matters of principle, be firm as a rock.
Politeness is an artificially created good mood.
Politeness is the habit of sacrificing small comforts.
The whole art of leadership is the art of being honest.
Whenever I remember that God is just, I begin to tremble for my country.
The tree of liberty must, from time to time, be sprinkled with the blood of patriots and tyrants. This is his natural fertilizer.
If I had a choice between having a government without newspapers or having newspapers without a government I would not hesitate to choose the second option.
If principles prevail over legislation, then the government is completely broken.
If you are angry, count to ten before you speak; if you're really angry, count to a hundred.
The living and abiding meaning of filial duty is sooner grasped by the mind of the son of his daughter from the reading of King Lear, than from the study of a hundred dull books of ethics and divine commandments.
Concern for human life and happiness, and not for their destruction, is the first and only legitimate objective of good government.
Laws and regulations must go hand in hand with the progress of the human soul.
Laws are written for ordinary people, so they should be based on ordinary rules of common sense.
We hold the following truths to be self-evident: that all men are equal; they are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights; that these rights include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
No government can exist without censorship: where the press is free, no one is free.
Sermons should be our lives, not our words.
Always strive to do your duty and humanity will reward you even if you fail.
Your own reason is the only oracle that heaven gives you, and you are not responsible for the justice, but for the sincerity of your decisions.
A coward throws himself into a quarrel much more easily than a brave man does.