Force does not constitute right... obedience is due only to legitimate powers.
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 RousseauLet it not, therefore, be said that the Sovereign is not subject to the laws of his State; since the contrary is a true proposition of the right of nations, which flattery has sometimes attacked but good princes have always defended as the tutelary divinity of their dominions. How much more legitimate is it to say with the wise Plato, that the perfect felicity of a kingdom consists in the obedience of subjects to their prince, and of the prince to the laws, and in the laws being just and constantly directed to the public good!
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 Rousseau