He Baron de Montesquieu , Charles-Louis de Secondat (1689 – 1755), is surely one of the most relevant thinkers of the 18th century in Western Europe. Following family tradition, he graduated in law and later held the position of counselor in the Bordeaux parliament for more than a decade.
His thought and ideological current was somewhat controversial. Defender of civil and political rights, he also had loud applause for the despotic system of the Ancien Regime, as well as defending the monarchical (liberal) system as the most balanced model to guarantee progress and stability in a society.
22. When death has equalized fortunes, funeral pomp should not differentiate them
Excellent contribution to explain class consciousness.
23. A thing is not fair just because it is law. It should be law because it is fair
Laws emanate from the popular will.
24. A man is not unhappy because of ambition, but because it devours him
Measured ambition can become a virtue.
25. It seems that our life increases when we can put it in the memory of others
This phrase describes the post-mortem phenomenon, when someone famous becomes a social deity.
26. Truth at one time is error at another
Contextualization is relevant to determine good and bad over time.
27. You have to study a lot to know little
Sometimes it is better to specialize in one area than to know everything wrong.
28. Happy is the town whose history is read with boredom
Is boredom an essential variable to achieve happiness?
29. Give a man the opportunity to be unjust, and he will not waste it
In some cases Montesquieu was skeptical about the nature of the human being.
30. The clergy and nobility are a good method of control for the Monarch
Even in a despotic system, there should be justice.
31. Nothing can or should be above the laws that govern a society
As a good man of law, the author defended his maximum premise in this way.
32. I prefer to agree with most people quickly rather than listen to them.
With this phrase the author described the majority of society as ignorant.
33. Freedom consists of being able to do what needs to be done
Obligations are also part of rights in a just society.
34. Here a husband who loves his wife is a man who does not have enough merit to be loved by another
Curious way to describe the way a man should love a woman.
35. To be successful in the world, you have to look crazy and be wise.
Most of humanity’s geniuses were peculiar characters.
36. Normally, those who have great talent are naive
The good speaker is not always a great thinker.
37. We always want to be happier than others, and that is wrong
The human being lives by and for eternal comparison with others.
38. Democracy must guard against two excesses: the spirit of inequality and the spirit of extreme equality
Excellent phrase to contrast two essential concepts in a society.
39. Freedom is the right to do what the laws allow
For Montesquieu, outside the law there is only despotism.
40. The decomposition of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded
Only when principles are betrayed does it lead to failure.
41. When societies are born, the heads of a State are those who give it its special character
The figure of the highest authority of a country has enormous responsibilities.
42. If a citizen had the right to do what they prohibit, it would no longer be freedom, since anyone else would have the same right.
A staunch defense of the laws is once again made with this phrase.
43. Later, this special character is what forms the heads of state
The figure of the president, head of state or king, is also usually a reflection of the people he represents.
44. We always imagine others much happier than they really are.
Human beings constantly fall into this error of comparing themselves with others.
45. If it were enough for us to be happy, things would be very easy; but we want to be happier than others
With this phrase, once again, the bad habit of comparison is emphasized.
46. ​​Most times success depends on knowing how long it will take to achieve it.
Success lies in the timeline on many occasions.
47. Luxury is always in proportion to the unevenness of fortunes
This phrase perfectly describes the inequality between classes.
48. More States have perished from the depravity of customs than from the violation of laws
A State is due to its customs and people.
49. The man of talent is naturally inclined to criticize, because he sees more things than other men and he sees them better
With this phrase the thinker intends to describe how intelligence can manifest itself.
50. I would like to abolish funeral ceremonies. We must mourn men when they are born and not when they die
Peculiar way of criticizing the funeral ritual.
51. Bigger men’s heads get smaller when they get together.
It’s not always a good combination when brilliant minds come together. It falls into the homogenization of discourse.
52. The Christian religion, which seems to have only the happiness of the other life as its objective, also makes us happy in this one.
This phrase provides a good description of what religion can mean.
53. Study has been for me the main remedy against life’s worries
Reading, studying and checking is the best remedy for ignorance.
54. Talent is a gift that God gives us in secret, and that we reveal without knowing it
That is why it is called a gift, because we practice it without conscience.
55. In clothing one must always stay below one’s own resources
Many of his reflections addressed everyday issues, customs and social conventions.
56. He who, being angry, imposes a punishment, does not correct, but takes revenge
A very true phrase that is still fully valid today.
57. I have never had a sadness that an hour of reading could not dispel.
A piece of advice that we can follow with the aim of improving the quality of life.
58. The passion of most French people is to have ingenuity; and the passion of those who want to be clever is to write books
Nobody like Montesquieu described the nature of the French people in his time.
59. To judge great and noble things it is necessary to have a soul that is equally great and noble
Only those who possess nobility of spirit are capable of achieving the greatest milestones.
60. We men brag about being badder than we really are.
An example of Montesquieu’s many reflections on the male sex.
61. I have always observed that to succeed in life you have to be understood, but appear stupid
Many of Montesquieu’s phrases are truly hilarious and yet they hide messages of great value.
62. Men end up getting used to everything, even servitude, as long as the master is not harsher than the servitude itself.
Montesquieu knew how to portray the human nature of his time perfectly, both the positive and negative traits.
63. Nothing could be imagined in a worse way; It seemed that nature had intended that the foolishness of men would be temporary, but books make them immortal.
A phrase that even today continues to make much more sense.
64. I don’t find myself where I look for myself. I find myself by surprise when I least expect it
Sometimes we discover things about ourselves that we didn’t know.
65. You go to bankers to take advances, their art is to take advantage of their funds without being accused of usury.
Montesquieu profusely criticized what he considered to be the injustices of his time.
