People in their natural state are basically good. But this natural innocence,however, is corrupted by the evils of society.

Nature wants children to be children before men... Childhood has its own seeing, thinking and feeling.

At first we will only skim the surface of the earth like young starlings, but soon, emboldened by practice and experience, we will spring into the air with the impetuousness of the eagle, diverting ourselves by watching the childish behavior of the little men or awling miserably around on the earth below us.

The bigger a state becomes the more liberty diminishes.

Laws are always useful to those who possess and vexatious to those who have nothing.

There is no subjection so perfect as that which keeps the appearance of freedom.

In truth, laws are always useful to those with possessions and harmful to those who have nothing; from which it follows that the social state is advantageous to men only when all possess something and none has too much.