Virtue is a state of war, and to live in it we have always to combat with ourselves.
Jean-Jacques RousseauIf there were a nation of Gods, it would govern itself democratically. A government so perfect is not suited to men.
Jean-Jacques RousseauEvery 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?
Jean-Jacques RousseauBut I am mistaken in speaking of a Christian republic; the terms are mutually exclusive. Christianity preaches only servitude and dependence. Its spirit is so favorable to tyranny that it always profits by such a regime. True Christians are made to be slaves, and they know it and do not much mind; this short life counts for too little in their eyes.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau