It is not the possessions but the desires of mankind which require to be equalized.

Some things the legislator must find ready to his hand in a state, others he must provide. And therefore we can only say: May our state be constituted in such a manner as to be blessed with the goods of which fortune disposes (for we acknowledge her power): whereas virtue and goodness in the state are not a matter of chance but the result of knowledge and purpose. A city can be virtuous only when the citizens who have a share in the government are virtuous, and in our state all the citizens share in the government.

Life in the true sense is perceiving or thinking.

There must be in prudence also some master virtue.

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.

No one praises happiness as one praises justice, but we call it a 'blessing,' deeming it something higher and more divine than things we praise.