The form of government and the condition of society must always correspond. Social equality is therefore a postulate of pure democracy.

A generous spirit prefers that his country should be poor, and weak, and of no account, but free, rather than powerful, prosperous, and enslaved.

False principles, which correspond with the bad as well as with the just aspirations of mankind, are a normal and necessary element in the social life of nations.

Guard against the prestige of great names; see that your judgments are your own; and do not shrink from disagreement; no trusting without testing

We are not sure we are right until we have made the best case possible for those who are wrong.

Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority...

Property is not the sacred right. When a rich man becomes poor it is a misfortune, it is not a moral evil. When a poor man becomes destitute, it is a moral evil, teeming with consequences and injurious to society and morality.