The 70 Most Famous Phrases Of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The phrases of Jean-Jacques Rousseau that we will see below They serve to understand the way of thinking of this Swiss philosopher.
His thinking as a revolutionary intellectual was reflected in some of his most important works, such as The social contract;* Emilio*, or Of Education.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Switzerland in June 1712. Among all his occupations He stood out as a philosopher, pedagogue and writer although he also dedicated himself to music, as well as the botanical and naturalistic world.
Despite As an intellectual he is included within the current of The Enlightenment his thought was characterized by being opposed to that of the greatest representatives of this current, such as Voltaire, with whom he maintained a deep enmity.
Rousseau’s ideas represented a revolution in the pedagogical currents of his time and his political ideas exerted a great influence on the evolution of the republican theories characteristic of the French Revolution.
His main contributions to political philosophy were, among other things, the concepts of “alienation” and “general will.” This last thought was what Kant himself turned into his “categorical imperative.”
Below we will see a selection of phrases from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the philosopher who best defined the essence of European Romanticism that was to come.
1. Man is born free, but everywhere he is chained
A phrase from s. XVIII that is still very valid in our times.
2. Man is good by nature, it is society that corrupts him
At birth we ignore the concepts of good and evil it is our environment that determines it.
3. The only custom that must be taught to children is that they not submit to any
Autonomy during childhood is essential for the correct development of the child.
4. The right to vote is a right that nothing and no one can take away from citizens
The foundation on which modern democracies should be based.
5. To renounce our freedom is to renounce our quality as men, and with this all the duties of humanity
The freedom of people should be intrinsic to their condition as human beings.
Although it seems obvious, sometimes we forget. One of Rousseau’s phrases based on aphorisms.
19. Patience is bitter, but its fruits are sweet
Everyone knows that good things take time to wait.
20. Regrets become dormant in prosperity and worsen in bad times
In the hardest moments all our ghosts tend to emerge.
21. Every man is useful to humanity by the simple fact of existing
Each and every person on the planet is important for its development.
22. If you remove the love of beauty from our hearts, you will remove all the charm of living
The beauty of things It is one of the great pleasures of life.
23. You should be ashamed of committing a mistake, not of repairing it
We must never forget it: to rectify our mistakes is to be wise people.
24. Childhood has its own ways of seeing, thinking and feeling; There is nothing more foolish than trying to replace them with ours.
It is necessary that children live their childhood as such, without trying to impose the vision or customs of adults on them.
25. I have always believed that good was nothing more than beauty put into action.
There is great beauty within good works.
26. He who does not hate vice much, does not love virtue much
Although a little outdated for today’s times, it is necessary to set some limits in our lives.
27. Cities are the abyss of the human species
The number of inhabitants of a city is inversely proportional to the relationship that exists between them.
28. Conscience is the voice of the souls, passions are the voices of the body
Virtue is found in knowing how to find balance.
29. Love letters are written starting without knowing what is going to be said, and ending without knowing what has been said.
Love always tends to cloud our minds.
30. Equality in wealth must consist of no citizen being so opulent that he can buy another, nor so poor that he is forced to sell himself.
A phrase that should be applied to any context, place or era that the human species goes through.
31. Insults are the reasons for those who are guilty
Guilt deprives us of reasoning to discuss.
32. The strongest is not always strong enough to be master
Leaders are not built on strength, but on aptitude.
33. I hate bad maxims more than bad actions
Bad principles can be worse than bad behavior.
34. You will never be friars if you are not first altar boys
To be able to reach the highest, you must always start from the lowest.
35. I prefer to be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices
While paradoxes make us think, prejudices blind us
36. If reason makes the man, feelings lead him
Are feelings the driving force of our lives?
37. All passions are good as long as one is the master of them, and all are bad when they enslave us
There is no greater slavery than when one’s own feelings prevail.
38. Fears, suspicions, coldness, caution, hatred and betrayal are frequently hidden under that uniform and fallacious veil of courtesy.
Under the façade of politeness the worst of intentions can be hidden.
39. The soul resists acute pain much better than prolonged sadness
The feelings of sadness that settle in us can be more toxic than a bad experience.
40. He who only desires what he is capable of doing and who does what he likes is truly free.
A truly inspiring maxim.
41. It is very difficult to think nobly when you only think to live.
If we only think about ourselves, we will rarely be good people.
42. There is a big difference between traveling to see countries and to see towns.
The best of traveling It is integrating into the culture we visit and not being a mere tourist.
43. General and abstract ideas are the source of humanity’s greatest errors.
Thinking specifically is a guarantee of success.
44. Working constitutes an indispensable duty for social man. Rich or poor, powerful or weak, every idle citizen is a thief.
Working is making ourselves useful to society.
45. Man suffers few evils, except for those that he brings upon himself through the abuse of his faculties.
There is no worse enemy than oneself.
46. The money you have is an instrument of freedom, the money you seek is an instrument of servitude
We will never be completely free if we do not stop depending on material things.
47. My greatest misfortune has always been not being able to resist flattery.
Vanity makes us slaves.
48. Man is a miracle without interest
The potential of the human being is inversely proportional to his interest in exploiting it.
49. Intonation is the soul of speech
How it is said is more important than what is said.
50. An honest man will never find a better friend than his wife
Should our partner also be our best friend?
51. When coming out of certain mouths, the truth itself has a bad smell
The truth always has as many interpretations and interests as the people who tell it.
52. If there were a nation of gods, they would govern themselves democratically; but such a perfect government is not suitable for men
Is man capable of achieving true democracy?
You may be interested: “The 6 types of Democracy and their characteristics”
53. The government had its origin in the purpose of finding a form of association that defends and protects the person and property of each person with the common strength of all.
A phrase from Rousseau that many current politicians should remember.
54. Freedom is obedience to the law that one has designed for oneself
We are slaves to our morals.
55. Freedom is not a fruit that grows in all climates and for that reason it is not within the reach of all peoples.
Unfortunately, it is a universal reason although it should not be that way
56. Vice rarely appears in opposition to honesty; but he almost always takes the disguise of this
Integrity or decency is the best mask for the corrupt.
57. It is not enough for a wife to be faithful, it is necessary that her husband, her friends and her neighbors believe in her fidelity
What would Caesar’s wife think?
58. It is very difficult to subject to obedience those who do not seek to command
He who does not want to command, much less desires to be commanded.
You may be interested: “Authoritarian people share these 7 characteristics”
59. Absolute silence leads to sadness. This is the image of death
A great phrase from Rousseau to reflect on.
60. What wisdom can be found that is greater than goodness?
Is being a good man the best you can aspire to?
61. Nature never deceives us; we are the ones who deceive ourselves
Is it objective reality or are we the ones who alter it?
62. He who blushes is already guilty; true innocence is not ashamed of anything
Lies can’t be hidden for a long period of time, they always end up coming to light
63. The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination
Creative people are owners of an infinite universe.
64. Happiness: A good bank account, a good cook and good digestion
Is money and food the most important thing in the world?
65. I may not be better, but at least I’m different
A genuine personality has nothing to envy of being perfect.
66. Childhood is the dream of reason
Are the first years of our lives where we dream the most and think the least?
67. It is a mania shared by philosophers of all times to deny what exists and explain what does not exist.
Philosophy has always been based on doubting the pre-established and analyzing what is not known.
Related article: “How are Psychology and Philosophy similar?”
68. I hate books, they only teach us to talk about things we know nothing about.
Is the best education in books or in experiences?
69. Virtue is a state of war and to live in it we always have to fight against ourselves
Temptations are always lurking.
70. Money is seed money and the first coin is sometimes more difficult to get than the second million
