People here argue about religion interminably, but it appears that they are competing at the same time to see who can be the least devout.

We must have constantly present in our minds the difference between independence and liberty. Liberty is a right of doing whatever the laws permit, and if a citizen could do what they forbid he would no longer be possessed of liberty.

The spirit of moderation should also be the spirit of the lawgiver.

The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.

The spirit of commerce... renders every man willing to live on his own property...& prevents the growth of luxury.

Thus the creation, which seems an arbitrary act, supposes laws as invariable as those of the fatality of the Atheists. It would be absurd to say that the Creator might govern the world without those rules, since without them it could not subsist.

Trade is the best cure for prejudice.