Jean-Jacques Rousseau Quotes & Sayings

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”

“Every man has the right to risk his own life in order to preserve it. Has it ever been said that a man who throws himself out the window to escape from a fire is guilty of suicide?”

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

“Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains.”

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

“People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little.”

“We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education.”

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”

“A feeble body weakens the mind.”

“Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves.”