The less luxury there is in a republic, the more it is perfect.

A nation may lose its liberties in a day and not miss them in a century.

There are only two cases in which war is just: first, in order to resist the aggression of an enemy, and second, in order to help an ally who has been attacked.

The harshest tyranny is that which acts under the protection of legality and the banner of justice.

We ought to be very cautious in the prosecution of magic and heresy. The attempt to put down these two crimes may be extremely perilous to liberty, and may be the origin of a number of petty acts of tyranny if the legislator be not on his guard; for as such an accusation does not bear directly on the overt acts of a citizen, but refers to the idea we entertain of his character.

The prejudices of superstition are superior to all others, and have the strongest influence on the human mind.

When the [law making] and [law enforcement] powers are united in the same person... there can be no liberty.