A constitution that is made for all nations is made for none.

Man is insatiable for power; he is infantile in his desires and, always discontented with what he has, loves only what he has not. People complain of the despotism of princes; they ought to complain of the despotism of man.

Wherever an altar is found, there civilization exists.

What is needed is not a revolution in the opposite direction, but the opposite of a revolution.

There is no easy method of learning difficult things. The method is to close the door, give out that you are not at home, and work.

The whole earth, perpetually steeped in blood, is nothing but an immense altar on which every living thing must be sacrificed without end, without restraint, without respite until the consummation of the world, the extinction of evil, the death of death.

I don't know what a scoundrel is like, but I know what a respectable man is like, and it's enough to make one's flesh creep.